


When it all comes crumbling down

by Littleredridinghunter



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Alive Allison, Alive Vernon Boyd & Erica Reyes, All the time, Alpha Derek, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Erica, BAMF Erica, BAMF Stiles, Derek Being an Idiot, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, Derek is a Failwolf, Derek is a Softie, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Erica Reyes & Stiles Stilinski Bromance, Erica Reyes & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Eternal Sterek, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Full Shift Werewolves, Heartbroken Stiles, Hurt Stiles, Jealous Derek, Jealous Theo Raeken, Kidnapped Derek, Kidnapped Stiles, Lots of Angst, Lots of Hurt, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, OTP Feels, Oblivious Stiles, Obsessive Theo Raeken, One-Sided Theo Raeken/Stiles Stilinski, Pining Derek, Possessive Derek, Protective Derek, Psychopath Theo Raeken, Scarred Stiles, Sheriff Stilinski Knows, Sheriff Stilinski is a Good Parent, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Sterek Forever, Stiles Has Nightmares, Stiles gets kicked out of the pack, Stiles-centric, Tattooed Stiles Stilinski, Theo is a Little Shit, Wolf Derek, erica won't put up with your shit, eventually, everyone wants to sleep with him, he gets better at talking, he gets kidnapped too, hot Stiles, like super attractive, seriously, so fed up of it, sterek is the best, stiles is attractive, stiles suffers a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 09:21:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 216,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15045860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littleredridinghunter/pseuds/Littleredridinghunter
Summary: Stiles is recovering from the Nogitsune. Erica is the only one that is really there for him, Scott's too busy rekindling his relationship with Allison and Stiles feels like he's falling apart.When a near-miss with a kelpie results in an encounter that he could never have predicted, Stiles begins to think his life might be getting back on track.He's wrong.Stiles' life is so messed up he can't even begin to explain it, maybe it's time for him to finally do something for himself and get out of Beacon Hills. But where will that path lead?With Stiles involved, no doubt danger and death won't be far behind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic is set at the end of Season 3, except everyone lives! 
> 
> I wrote it at the same time as writing 'It's where your demons hide' so you might notice some similarities, e.g. Stiles getting hit on in clubs etc, but, I've tried to keep the stories distinct in their own ways. 
> 
> There's lots of hurt Stiles in this one too, as happens in all my fics. So don't read if you don't enjoy it. It's not as dark as 'it's where your demons hide', I needed something a bit lighter after writing that one, but there's definitely still lots of hurt Stiles, kidnapped Stiles, emotionally upset Stiles etc etc. Just to give you fair warning. 
> 
> Rape is tagged as there's discussion about an attempted rape and a few mentions of it, but there is no actual rape in this fic.
> 
> I'm now going to start on the sequel to 'Can't rely on me' so hopefully that'll be ready for people in a few months because I know there's several of you that are dying to read it!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one and I'd love to know what you think!

Stiles woke up feeling a little tender in all the right places, he stretched slightly, feeling a smile on his lips as he recalled the events of last night. He knew that Derek and he had been getting closer for a while, that Derek had been the driving force behind keeping Stiles alive until they found a way to remove the nogitsune. Stiles had figured that the fact werewolves existed and that his best friend had been bitten and now went furry whenever he got too emotional was going to be the worst thing he’d ever had to deal with. But, no, as soon as the existence of werewolves came to Stiles’ attention so did the knowledge of hunters, of kanimas, Darachs and Alpha packs, and then, when it couldn’t possibly have gotten any worse Stiles had been possessed by the nogitsune and nearly lost his mind along with his life.

Stiles had been feeling pretty low since they’d managed to free him from the demon, Allison had nearly died and the instant they found out she was going to live, Scott had declared his love for her and they’d decided to give their relationship another go. Isaac and Kira were both upset about that, and Stiles didn’t blame them, but, they were getting over it, or so Erica told him. Stiles didn’t really know what was going on with the pack if he was honest, Scott hadn’t spoken to him since he’d got back together with Allison, he didn’t think it was malicious, he didn’t think Scott had fallen out with him although a larger part than he’d like to admit believed that Scott blamed Stiles for not being able to fight off the nogitsune, but, mainly he wanted to believe that Scott was just wrapped up in his relationship again, and, Stiles, well, he really needed friends around him right now. He needed to close his eyes at night and know he would wake up in the morning in the same place, without blood on his hands, in control of his own actions. 

Erica had been the only one who’d really bothered with him, Boyd was in training to be second in command to the pack and Derek had him doing a lot of drills and stuff so Erica quite often found herself bored so she’d come and see Stiles. Stiles wasn’t sure if she hung out with him because of pity or boredom or some kind of twisted friendship that was formed somewhere between Stiles protecting her and Boyd from Gerard and then rescuing them from the Alpha pack along with Cora, the long-lost sister that Derek had believed was dead for the past six years. 

Stiles was grateful for Erica’s company, he appreciated that she never mentioned that he looked like shit when he hadn’t been able to sleep, and never commented on the way his hands shook slightly when he didn’t remember doing something simple, like walking from the kitchen into the living room, he knew he must have done it, but, he couldn’t remember doing it and it took him a few minutes to convince himself that he was awake, that he was free, that the nogitsune was gone and was never coming back.

Sometimes they left the house, Stiles always blinking in the bright sunlight, wondering how long it had been since the last time he’d gone out, he knew he wasn’t functioning properly, that he needed to pull himself out of this mess, to get up, fight, carry on, but, he didn’t know how. Now his dad was in the know, Stiles thought it would be easier, he wouldn’t have to lie as much, and, it was, he didn’t have to lie to him about whatever was threatening the town this time, but, he was still lying to him about how he was doing, he just couldn’t stand to see his dad looking at him with worry, Stiles had to pretend he was fine for his sake and it was exhausting. 

When Lydia had called Erica explaining there was a pack meeting at the loft, Stiles had hesitated, he wasn’t sure he was welcome, after all, he wasn’t a wolf, and, more importantly, he was the reason members of the pack had nearly died, they wouldn’t want him there, it was only Erica rolling her eyes, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the jeep that made sure that Stiles went to the loft. He stared around at the people gathered in the room, Kira and Isaac sat on one sofa, both pointedly looking anywhere but at Scott and Allison who were sat on one of the chairs, Allison sat on Scott’s knee, obviously aware of how upsetting it was for Isaac and Kira as she resolutely refused to return Scott’s affections, Scott seemed to be oblivious to that, burying his nose in Allison’s neck and seemingly he hadn’t even noticed Stiles and Erica’s arrival. 

Lydia was sitting on one of the other sofas between Malia, who was playing with Cora’s hair, and Peter, she was texting, no doubt it was Jackson, he’d gotten in touch a few weeks ago apparently, telling her all about his life in London and the fact he was now part of a different pack and they’d been texting none stop since. Erica rushed forward, pulling Boyd into a hug and grinning widely before she turned to look at the rest of the pack, Derek rolled his eyes at her and she smirked at him before she dragged Boyd to a seat on the last sofa, shuffling along enough that Stiles could squeeze on there with them. 

Stiles wasn’t sure they even noticed he was there, Scott didn’t even look away from Allison the entire meeting and he tried not to feel hurt by that, he didn’t want to be selfish, but, he needed his friend right now, he needed his best friend, and Scott didn’t seem to care about Stiles and that really fucking hurt.

It turned out Derek had called the pack together because he’d had a run in with a kelpie while out for a run in the preserve earlier, it had tried to drown him before he managed to escape and they needed to take care of it before it hurt anyone else. 

“Does anyone know anything about kelpies?” Derek asked the room at large and everyone looked at him blankly. 

“They’re water horses, they can shift to human form though, but supposedly they keep their hooves in human form. They’re supposed to be really beautiful but if you touch them, you get like, stuck to them, and they drag you back into the water to drown you.” Stiles explained, ignoring the incredulous looks everyone shot him, he’d had a lot of free time in the weeks since the nogitsune had been destroyed and he’d always had a hard time shutting his brain off to sleep, now it was even harder, so of course he’d spent plenty of time researching any mythical creature that took his fancy. 

“Do you know how to kill them?” Peter asked with an arched eyebrow and Stiles shrugged.

“The lore says that if you can put a bridle on it you can basically control it, like you could order it to leave, or never exit the water again, or, if it already has a bridle, you can do some sort of exorcism, and, then, there’s the go to favourite of shooting it with silver, but, I don’t know how accurate that is.” Stiles replied.

“It didn’t have any bridle or anything.” Derek replied and Stiles nodded, oblivious to the way the older werewolf was looking at him with awe and worry. Derek was worried about Stiles, had been worried about him since they’d found out he’d been possessed, but, he’d kept his distance, knowing that Stiles would need time to recover from everything, instead, he looked to be getting worse, he was pale and looked thinner than the last time Derek had seen him, Derek wondered vaguely if he was eating, he had told Erica to make sure that Stiles was looking after himself, but, it didn’t look like he was. 

He hadn’t wanted to admit his attraction to the seventeen-year-old, not that Cora didn’t tease him mercilessly about it anyway, but, he felt like it should feel wrong, he didn’t want to be like Kate, taking advantage of a minor, not to mention the fact that everyone Derek cared about tended to wind up dead. He was terrified of something happening to Stiles, and, nearly losing him to the nogitsune had only confirmed that fact for him, Stiles should be kept out of things, he should be kept away from the pack, kept safe. He hadn’t expected Erica to bring Stiles to the meeting, it was why he’d asked Lydia to call Erica not Stiles, but, he couldn’t help but be grateful that Stiles was here and able to offer them the information they needed. 

“I’ve still got some silver arrows left?” Allison offered and Derek nodded.

“Alright, you fetch them, I’ll get us a bridle and then we can head out and find this thing.” Stiles said helpfully and Derek wanted to hug him, hold him, tell him it was all going to be okay, but, he couldn’t do that, he couldn’t be with Stiles, not if he wanted to keep him safe. 

He was going to argue that Stiles shouldn’t come out with them but Stiles had left to fetch the bridle before Derek could even open his mouth, they’d agreed to meet in the preserve and Derek was going to tell Stiles that he could go home as soon as he had given them the bridle, except, when they got there, Stiles’ jeep was already there and he was nowhere in sight, the passenger door flung open in haste and Stiles’ running footprints disappearing into the preserve. 

“Stiles!?” He called out in annoyance and worry, why couldn’t he just do what Derek told him to do? He spotted hoofprints around the driver’s door and could picture vividly what had happened, Stiles had pulled up, waited in the jeep as agreed, the kelpie had come towards him and he’d run off in the other direction, he growled protectively, if this kelpie hurt Stiles he would tear it limb from limb. He raced off after Stiles’ footprints, the rest of the pack figuring out what had happened and hurrying after him. 

He heard a startled yelp and then a splash from a few hundred meters ahead and pushed himself to run faster, to get to Stiles before something awful happened. There was a river that cut through the preserve not far away from them and Derek ran there, staring at the water in panic, there was no sign of Stiles, no sign of the kelpie, where the hell were they? He called out for Stiles again, not knowing what was going on when suddenly Stiles’ head broke the surface at the side of the river, Derek rushed forward, pulling Stiles half-way out of the water and examining him for injuries.

“Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?” Derek quizzed as Stiles coughed and spluttered for breath before pulling his hand the rest of the way out of the river and showing the bridle he held. The pack watched in awe as the kelpie left the river, a large, black, beautiful horse standing on the bank and staring at Stiles patiently. “What did you do!?” Derek said in sheer relief and awe, Stiles was safe and the kelpie was restrained. 

“I don’t know.” Stiles shrugged, coughing slightly still and shivering through his wet clothes, Derek took off his jacket and put it around Stiles’ shoulders, hoping to stop him getting any colder. 

“Is it going to attack us?” Lydia asked and Stiles shook his head.

“I don’t think so.” He replied. 

“So, do we kill it?” Cora queried. 

“I don’t think we need to. I just, I need to word it correctly, but, we can banish it into the water, it won’t be able to attack anyone, but, we don’t need to kill it.” Stiles said through chattering teeth. 

“Alright, well, do it then.” Peter said impatiently, staring at the kelpie nervously and Stiles nodded rapidly, looking nervous as he cleared his throat. 

“Okay, sure, right, kelpie,” Stiles tugged on the bridle slightly, “I command you to return to the water, to never leave it again, you are to never kill or cause hurt to another human being for the rest of your existence.” Stiles said firmly and the kelpie nodded once before diving back into the river and disappearing into its depths. “Wow, I kind of didn’t expect that to work.” Stiles shivered and Derek pulled him to his feet and started steering him away from the river, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close in an attempt to warm him up. 

“Everyone go home, hunt’s over.” Derek growled and everyone seemed to roll their eyes in unison before moving off to their own vehicles, “Not you.” Derek snapped, tightening his grip on Stiles’ shoulder slightly when the younger man tried to move towards his own vehicle, “You’re practically hypothermic, I’m not letting you out of my sight until I know you’re going to be okay.” He said, pushing Stiles towards his own car, “Cora, Peter, can you bring Stiles’ jeep to the loft?” He asked and Cora nodded, snatching the keys from Stiles’ pocket when his hands were shaking too badly to grab them himself. 

Derek turned the heating up full, trying to ignore the chattering of Stiles’ teeth in the silence of the car, trying not to freak out completely, relieved when Stiles’ tremors seemed to reduce slightly by the time they got back to the loft. He manhandled Stiles up the stairs, a little worried by how little Stiles was protesting, before he pushed him up the stairs to his bedroom and through the bathroom door. 

“Get in the shower, I’ll get you some warm clothes.” Derek said, turning his back on Stiles and going back into his bedroom, pulling the door slightly closed but not shutting it all the way, needing to know he could get to Stiles easily if necessary. He knew he was being overly protective, but, his wolf’s desire to protect Stiles was overwhelming, they could have lost him tonight, all because Derek hadn’t protected him as he should have done. He listened to the beating of Stiles’ heart, the only thing that could calm him right now, listened as his wet clothes hit the floor with a thud and the shower turned on, listened to the spike in his heart beat as the hot water hit his skin and he let out a groan of relief. 

Derek wasn’t aware that he’d lost track of time until he heard the shower shut off and then Stiles’ uncertain footsteps coming from the bathroom towards the bedroom. 

“Derek?” Stiles asked nervously, wondering if the Alpha was okay, Derek was standing in the middle of his bedroom, his back to Stiles, a handful of clothes clutched tightly in his hands. “You okay?” He asked. 

“Yeah.” Derek said, snapping out of his trance and turning to look at Stiles, freezing because he hadn’t thought about what Stiles would look like in a towel, he’d wrapped it around his waist and there were still a few droplets of water running down his chest, Derek knew he was staring, but, god, Stiles was beautiful. 

“Derek?” Stiles queried, wondering why Derek was staring at him in something that looked like hunger, before he could say anything Derek was striding forwards, dropping the clothes as he moved and cupping Stiles’ jaw, pressing his lips against Stiles’, kissing him desperately, as he had wanted to for so long.

Stiles went still against him for the briefest moment before he was kissing him back just as hungrily, just as desperately, their tongues colliding with glee as they kissed. Derek’s hands moved, running over Stiles’ still slightly damp skin, down his back, around his waist, brushing the fabric of the towel that was barely staying in place. 

“Jesus.” Stiles muttered when Derek moved his mouth from Stiles’, planting kisses along his jaw and down his neck, sucking on the soft skin over his pulse point and growling in approval when Stiles gasped and arched towards him, his hands resting on Derek’s waist a little uncertainly. Derek decided that he had way too many clothes on, but, taking them off would mean breaking contact with Stiles and he really didn’t want to do that, he wanted to get closer, wanted to feel skin on skin, wanted to bring Stiles to his climax and watch as he shuddered his way through it. His hands went to Stiles’ ass, picking him up easily, Stiles wrapping his legs around Derek’s hips as the towel slipped slightly, kissing passionately as Derek carried him to the bed. 

To say Stiles was surprised by the sudden turn of events would be the understatement of the century, he was happy with it, no doubt about that, but, it was definitely unexpected. He’d always been attracted to Derek, who in their right mind wouldn’t be? He was gorgeous, tall, dark, handsome, beautiful green eyes that Stiles had found himself drowning in several times and a smile that could make your heart miss a beat. But, he hadn’t realised he was falling in love with the man until it was much too late to do anything about it. He’d watched as Derek struggled to build a pack, and, then, done his best to protect them, he didn’t care about his own safety, he proved that time and time again, instead he put the safety of his pack ahead of his own every single time. He’d seen when Derek struggled with his own guilt and hardships but pushed through every single time, because he wasn’t a quitter, Stiles loved that about him, he loved Derek’s strength, he loved that the man had a huge heart and that no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he was never capable of doing so. 

So, yeah, Stiles was in love with him, had been for a while if he was being completely honest, but, he’d never imagined that Derek would feel anything towards him, never thought that Derek would want to kiss him, touch him, be with him, but, Stiles wasn’t an idiot, he wasn’t going to complain, not when Derek was looking at him like he wanted to devour him, Stiles was more than happy to let him do it and then Stiles would return the favour, several times over if Derek wanted to. 

Stiles was pretty sure he forgot how to speak when Derek dropped him on the bed and then proceeded to pull his own clothes off as quickly as he could. It wasn’t that Stiles hadn’t seen Derek naked before, he had, it was one of the perks of running around with werewolves who were all allergic to clothing ninety percent of the time, it was just weird to see all that nakedness directed at him. He shook his head, as if unable to believe his luck before Derek practically pounced on top of him and started kissing him again, laughing when Derek moved to his neck again, giving him another hickey on the other side. 

“Dude I’m going to have to wear a scarf tomorrow if you keep this up.” Stiles laughed in bemusement and Derek sucked a little harder, Stiles’ back arched off the bed as he gasped in pleasure, Derek smirking into his neck, loving Stiles’ response to his affections, wanting to pleasure him over and over until Stiles would never be able to forget it. 

“I’m counting on it.” Derek replied teasingly, sucking another mark by Stiles’ collarbone and Stiles practically shuddered underneath him, Derek ran his hand down Stiles’ chest, towards the towel that was barely staying in place, “Can I?” He asked and Stiles nodded eagerly. 

“Yeah, yes please.” He replied and Derek chuckled slightly when Stiles’ fingers went to the towel pulling it off completely. 

Derek smiled, running his fingertips along Stiles’ thigh while his lips kissed the moles that adorned his chest, Stiles letting out little gasps of pleasure at the action that had Derek shaking with pleasure, he couldn’t wait to hear what sounds Stiles would make later, when he’d spent his time making this the most pleasurable experience it could possibly ever be. 

“Der, Jesus, fuck…” Stiles panted in pleasure when Derek kissed his way down Stiles’ chest and then took his hard cock gently into his mouth, “Oh god, fuck me.” Stiles cursed and Derek smirked. 

“Since you asked so nicely.” He replied jokingly and Stiles stared at him in shock for a moment before he grinned widely. 

“Did you just make a joke…god!” Stiles laughed, his voice fading into a groan when Derek sucked hard on his cock and Stiles’ fists clenched in the sheets. “Fuck! Derek!” Stiles gasped a few minutes later when Derek twisted his tongue slightly and Stiles arched up off the bed in pleasure. Derek carried on licking and sucking, reaching under his bed to grab the lube that he had stashed under there, usually for his own pleasure – fantasies that always involved Stiles - squirting a little onto his fingers before looking up at Stiles questioningly, “Yes, yes please.” Stiles begged and Derek grinned, returning to licking Stiles’ cock while he moved a finger to Stiles’ tight hole and began working him openly slowly, Stiles panting desperately, as Derek continued to open him up. 

“You’re sure?” He growled, barely able to keep his wolf under control at how goddamn amazing this felt already, Stiles nodded quickly, blushing slightly but nodding in determination.

“If you are?” He asked and Derek grinned, moving back up Stiles’ body in order to kiss him softly, sweetly, he wanted this to be enjoyable for Stiles, he knew it was his first time, knew that he should probably be taking more time than he was doing, but, god, he wanted this, he wanted it so badly he could barely think straight, he was only keeping his wolf under control through sheer force of will, there was no way he was stopping now, not if Stiles wanted it too. 

He moved cautiously, not wanting to hurt Stiles no matter how much as a rush he was in, he inched in slowly, watching Stiles’ face for any sign on discomfort, instead finding himself falling even more in love with him as he watched the emotions flash across his face, Stiles was so fucking beautiful, he kissed him again, softly, sweetly, unable to believe that Stiles had wanted this too, it was, it was perfect, it felt even more incredible than he’d imagined it would. When he bottomed out he had to take a minute, taking a slightly shaky breath as he tried to get himself under control, Stiles kissing his neck innocently and muttering about how good it felt. 

“Derek, god, fuck, oh my god.” Stiles panted and Derek echoed that sentiment entirely, he felt like his entire brain had short-circuited and he hadn’t even moved yet. He moved the slightest bit, just to see how much he was going to struggle for control and Stiles let out another groan of pleasure. 

“Stiles.” Derek gasped when he thrust experimentally and his vision went red. 

“Fuck, that’s really hot.” Stiles muttered, staring at Derek’s eyes for a second before they faded back to their normal green. “Still hot.” He added and Derek grinned, shaking his head in bemusement before he thrust forwards again and Stiles threw his head back with pleasure, wrapping his legs around Derek’s ass and pulling him closer, his hands running along his back and leaving the faintest nail marks that had already faded by the time Stiles moved his hands. 

“Jesus, Stiles.” Derek panted, aware of how close to the edge he was and not just of losing control of his wolf, but, also how close he was to cumming, he’d wanted to last longer, make this pleasurable and memorable for Stiles, but, instead, it was going to be over way too quickly if he didn’t get control of himself, “God you feel so good.” He muttered into Stiles’ neck, inhaling his scent as he sucked another hickey into his pale skin. “Need to slow down.” He whispered, his vision going red and staying that way as he continued thrusting into Stiles, his actions not reflecting his words at all.

“No, don’t, don’t stop, please, I’m so close, fuck, I’m so close Derek.” Stiles pleaded and those words were enough for Derek to lose any control he had, hearing Stiles panting with pleasure, hearing him saying Derek’s name, his imagination had never done this justice, he moved faster, harder, thrusting deeper as his wolf howled with pleasure that they were finally claiming their mate. “Fuck, Derek, god, please, I’m going to, Christ, Der, please.” Stiles begged. He wasn’t sure what he was begging for, wasn’t sure what he wanted, he just, god, he was so close, and every thrust seemed to be hitting just the right spot and Stiles was going to cum pathetically quickly, but, Christ, it was good, it was so goddamn good, “Shit, Der, shit, fuck, Derek.” Stiles said, trying to warn him but not able to concentrate enough to get his words out clearly as his orgasm started to rip through him.

Derek felt it the instant Stiles’ muscles tightened, felt his orgasm start and the last word on his lips had been Derek’s name, it was enough to send Derek howling over the edge, trembling as the most powerful orgasm he’d ever felt ripped through his body, sending him shuddering over the edge and crying out Stiles’ name. 

They slipped into sleep not long afterwards, Derek kissing Stiles gently, softly and sweetly until the younger man drifted into sleep.

Stiles woke up feeling a little tender in all the right places, he’d never expected last night to happen, but, god, did it feel amazing, he couldn’t wait for a repeat. He opened his eyes slowly, stretching out and wincing just the slightest bit before realising that the bed next to him was empty. 

“Derek?” He called out in confusion, climbing out of the bed and pulling on the clothes that Derek had been going to give to him before they’d gotten distracted. He wandered out of the bedroom and down the stairs, spotting Derek leaning against the kitchen counter with his back to Stiles, a mug of coffee in front of him, he looked tense but Stiles figured he’d probably be able to get rid of that tension pretty easily. “Hey.” He said in greeting, knowing the werewolf would have heard him coming and wondering why he hadn’t already turned around. 

“Hi.” Derek grunted in reply, still staring at his coffee like it held the answers to the universe. 

“So, um, that was fun, last night, with the, you know, like, I enjoyed myself and, um, maybe, maybe we could do it again sometime? But, maybe, maybe we could go on a date or something too? Like I’ll buy you a coffee or go watch a film or something?” Stiles rambled, feeling suddenly nervous and uncertain when Derek still didn’t turn around.

“No.” Derek replied. 

“Oh, right, like, no to the date? Or no to the repeat performance?” Stiles asked feeling slightly nauseous.

“No to all of it.” Derek growled and Stiles nodded numbly. 

“Right, okay, sure, just, I thought, you seemed to, did you not want to…” Stiles’ voice trailed off when Derek turned to look at him. The Alpha’s eyes were glowing red and he looked angry, like he was ready to tear Stiles’ throat out. 

“Last night was a mistake.” Derek snarled and Stiles felt like he’d been punched in the chest, like someone had grabbed hold of his heart and was currently crushing it in their fist, “You were just here, that’s all, it wasn’t anything special and it didn’t mean anything, just a way to blow off steam. It would have happened with whoever was here at the time, Isaac or Kira or Lydia, you were just here.” Derek spat angrily and Stiles swallowed loudly, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes because of course it meant nothing to Derek, why would it have done? Stiles was an idiot. 

“Sure, yeah, that, that makes sense.” He nodded in agreement, refusing to even look at Derek, instead staring at the floor, knowing if he saw the hatred on the man’s face right now he would dissolve into tears and he already felt pathetic enough, crying at Derek would not help matters. “So, do we just pretend nothing happened? I mean, at the next pack meeting or whatever?” He said, proud of how steady his voice sounded. 

“You won’t be here. Erica shouldn’t have brought you to the one last night. You aren’t pack Stiles. You’re a liability. I don’t want you here.” Derek snapped and Stiles felt like any breath he had left had been knocked clean out of him. 

“Right, sure. I’m just going to…” He trailed off, already grabbing his keys from the side and moving towards the door, not looking up from the ground and practically running from the loft, he’d been such an idiot, how could he have thought Derek cared about him? Last night was a mistake. An adrenaline rush or whatever, it sure as hell wasn’t because Derek cared about him or loved him, Stiles was an idiot for believing it could have been. The words ringing in his ears, that it could have been anyone, would have been anyone, Stiles was just convenient, well, that wouldn’t be an issue, Stiles wouldn’t be around the pack anymore because Stiles wasn’t pack. God, he was such an idiot. How could he have believed that Derek could ever be attracted to him? Would want to be with him? Stiles wasn’t anything special to look at, and, since the nogitsune, he looked paler and thinner than usual and god, he was such a fucking idiot.

Peter had heard the whole thing from his room, thankfully Cora and Isaac had left early that morning, they’d all arrived home last night, Peter dropping Stiles’ keys on the counter, they could smell their Alpha’s protectiveness, that his wolf was pissed that they hadn’t protected Stiles as well as they should have done, despite the fact that Stiles was fine. Peter suggested the three of them go out for some food and, by the time they returned, it was blatantly obvious by scent alone, that Derek had finally given in to his desires, although, again thankfully, Derek and Stiles were both fast asleep as the three of them headed to their own rooms. 

Peter stepped into the kitchen as soon as he heard Stiles leave through the loft door and shook his head at Derek who was shaking as he picked up his mug of coffee. 

“Such lies nephew.” He tutted and Derek snarled at him, Peter only smirked in reply, “Please, I’d love to hear your real reasons for kicking him out, because, we both know it wouldn’t have just happened with anyone and that Stiles is the only pack you’ve ever wanted since becoming Alpha, so, why throw him out like that? He would be a good mate for you.” 

“Shut up Peter.” Derek growled, his hand clenching around the cup until it smashed in his grip. Derek had woken up feeling so happy that it was almost beyond belief, Stiles was sleeping peacefully in his arms, Derek brushed his fingers over the marks on Stiles’ neck and collarbones, the ones that stood out so starkly against his pale skin and Derek was proud, so fucking proud, because he’d marked his mate, Stiles was theirs and everyone would know now. He planned on making Stiles breakfast in bed, padding over to the drawers and pulling out a pair of joggers, grabbing at the piece of paper that fluttered to the floor and freezing when he saw what it was. The last photograph he had of his family, before the fire, before Laura was killed, before he lost them all. 

He stared at it for a few moments before his eyes drifted to the pile of wet clothes in the bathroom, and then to Stiles still sleeping peacefully in the bed. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t keep putting Stiles in danger and he would be in danger by being with Derek, there was no doubt about it. He had to protect him, it was in his best interests. His wolf practically howled at the thought of pushing Stiles away but Derek knew it was for the best, Stiles would be safer away from him, he moved to the bed, sitting down next to Stiles, trailing his fingers gently through his hair and down his back, giving him one final kiss on the forehead.

“I’m sorry Stiles.” He whispered, knowing Stiles was stubborn, that if Derek didn’t hurt him, push him away, then Stiles wouldn’t give up, he was going to have to be cruel and it was going to damn near kill him to do it. He took a quick picture of the sleeping Stiles, knowing it was going to be the only one he’d ever get, knowing he had no right to it, not with what he was about to do, and then headed downstairs to make himself some coffee. 

When Stiles stumbled down the stairs half an hour later Derek had prepared himself, he planned on sitting down and telling Stiles gently that it was a mistake, that it shouldn’t have happened and wouldn’t be happening again, except, then Stiles caught him by surprise, asking him out on a date and god, Derek wanted to, he wanted to so badly, he was fighting his wolf harder than he’d ever fought before because they had to protect him and Stiles would only be in danger if they were involved. 

When he turned around, when he saw his marks still on display on Stiles’ neck it went against everything he felt to tell him that it was nothing special, that it would have happened with whomever was here. He knew the risks by saying that, that Stiles could tell his dad what had happened and Noah could decide to arrest Derek for statutory rape, Derek didn’t care about that, hell, he thought he deserved that. He’d taken advantage of Stiles when he was still in shock from the kelpie attack and when he was vulnerable, still recovering from the nogitsune possession, plus, he was only seventeen, Derek deserved to go to prison for doing anything with Stiles, he should have never given into his desire, he should have fought harder, he should have protected Stiles, not done this, god, he was a horrible person, how could he ever deserve to be with someone as perfect as Stiles?

He could smell the hurt wafting from Stiles and he wanted that to be an end to it, thought that would have ended this thing before it had a chance to go any further, that Stiles would be safe away from them, except, then he’d said about the next pack meeting and Derek couldn’t have him here, couldn’t have him danger, not after what happened last night, Stiles had nearly died, could have died, they needed him safe, so, he’d said the only thing he could, that Stiles wasn’t pack. It felt like he was ripping his own heart out with those words, he couldn’t even bear to imagine what it was doing to Stiles, but, it was for his own good. He’d be safe. He’d be better off without Derek in his life.

“All I’m saying is that I heard the lie in your words clear as day. I’m just curious as to why you’d lie to him like that, especially since you’ve been pining after him for months?” Peter prompted and Derek flashed red eyes at him.

“Enough. I’m not talking about this Peter. Neither are you. This is kept between the two of us. Understand?” He snapped and Peter rolled his eyes before sighing.

“Whatever you say dear nephew.” He replied before going back to his room and shaking his head in despair, Derek was his own worst enemy most of the time. 

Stiles drove back to his own home, glad that his dad wasn’t home yet when he went inside and headed straight for the shower. He managed to make it into the shower before the tears started falling, before he let out huge sobs and curled up on the floor of the shower, his hands wrapped around his knees as he did his best to hold himself together. He wasn’t pack. He wasn’t pack and Derek didn’t want him and everything was just such a fucking mess. He needed to get out of here, he couldn’t stay here, couldn’t watch the pack from afar, knowing that they were in danger and there was nothing he could do to help, that he was a liability, nothing more. His mind froze on that thought, there was something he could do, there was somewhere he could go. 

By the time his dad arrived home Stiles had prepared himself, he’d packed his bags and they were waiting in his bedroom, he didn’t want to spring it on his dad the second he walked through the door after all. He’d made dinner, lasagne with garlic bread, his dad’s favourite, and he’d cleaned himself up, making sure to hide the marks that Derek had left, he did not want his dad to know just what a mess he’d made for himself. 

“Guess who I bumped into!?” His dad called as he entered through the front door and Stiles was about to reply when Erica bounded into the kitchen looking excited, “Something smells good.” His dad grinned while Erica pulled Stiles into a hug and grinned widely. 

“You sure do.” She teased and Stiles shook his head fondly before pushing her away so he could pull the lasagne from the oven. 

“I made plenty. You should stay for dinner.” Stiles said a little formally and Erica’s smile fell slightly, her forehead crinkling in concern and shooting him a worried look when his dad’s back was turned. 

“Everything okay son? You look pale.” Noah said, already plating himself some lasagne and digging in hungrily before handing the spoon to Erica who grinned at him. 

“Yeah, although, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” He said solemnly and his dad paused in his actions, as did Erica, both of them looking at him suspiciously. He took a deep breath, there was no easy way to break this to them, but, it was important that they understood. “Over summer, while the Alpha pack had you, before Ms Blake and the nogitsune and all that, when we were looking for Erica and Boyd, I sort of stumbled across an application for a kind of college while I was looking for stuff to help find them.” Stiles began nervously. 

“Okay, a kind of college, that sounds promising.” Noah said, resuming his meal, feeling that college was something normal they could talk about, Stiles should be thinking about college, he was eighteen months away from graduating still, but, it was something he should be thinking about and Noah was so proud of his son, proud that he was showing signs of recovering from the nogitsune, that he was thinking of the future. 

“I applied, you know, just on the off chance, and, a couple of weeks later, I got an acceptance letter.” Stiles said, pulling out the thick letter from his back pocket and ploughing on, ignoring the looks of surprise on both Erica’s and Noah’s faces. “I asked them to defer my entry, we’d just found out about the Alpha pack, and, we were looking for you, and, I didn’t want to leave when that was going on, and then, there was the whole Darach and ritual sacrifices thing and I couldn’t go then, and then, then with the nogitsune,” He cleared his throat for a moment, “And, well, now, I think, now is a good time to go.” 

“What?” Erica squawked, the first to regain her voice, “Go!? Go where? You can’t go! We need you!” Stiles slid the letter towards his dad who was still staring at him in shock and Noah took it, reading through it, his eyes getting gradually wider as he flipped the pages and continued reading. “Is this because of what happened with you and Derek!?” Erica blurted out and Noah’s eyes shot from the letter to Stiles. 

“What happened with you and Derek?” He quizzed, and Stiles blushed.

“Nothing. I mean, something.” He amended when Erica growled at him, “Yeah, okay, something happened, but, it didn’t mean what I thought it meant, but, that’s not important. This is. It’s a full scholarship, they’ll pay for everything, food, accommodation, travel expenses, any books I need or any other equipment I want or need. I want to go.” He insisted. 

“What the hell does ‘something’ mean!?” Noah asked angrily, “I thought you and Derek were friends now? Did he attack you or something? Lose control of his wolf? I thought he had better control than that?” 

“No, dad, no, just, it wasn’t, he didn’t,” Stiles blushed before gritting his teeth, if he didn’t say something he knew Erica would, “I slept with him and then we had a bit of a disagreement.” Noah turned an odd shade of purple before clearly swallowing down his anger and concentrating on his son, “But, that’s not why I’m doing this.” 

“Liar.” Erica said, snatching the letter from Noah and holding it while she glared at Stiles, she didn’t need to be a werewolf to know that whatever disagreement they’d had was a serious one, Boyd had text her to tell her that the loft smelled of Derek and Stiles, that they’d had sex and she’d been so excited, so happy, because Stiles deserved to be happy, but, instead, she’d been met by a serious, quiet Stiles who smelled of hurt and embarrassment and all she wanted to do was hold him until that smell went away. 

“Alright, fine, it’s not completely to do with that. I need to get out of Beacon Hills. I need to get away from here. At least for a little while.” Stiles amended. 

“But, you can’t leave the pack, how are we going to manage without you?” Erica pleaded, and Stiles winced at the mention of the pack. 

“Well, as it turns out, part of that disagreement included the fact that I’m not pack.” Stiles supplied, and Erica was lost for words, her mouth hanging open for a moment before she flushed furiously. 

“He’s lying. You’re pack. You are.” She insisted, “I don’t know what bullshit Derek was spouting but you are pack Stiles. No doubt about that.” 

“Maybe to you. But not to him. And, you know, with him being Alpha, his word is kind of law.” Stiles muttered, and Erica looked devastated. 

“I’m going to kill him.” Noah snarled, “After everything you’ve done for him, he takes advantage of you and then he says something like that! I’m going to fucking kill him.” Noah snapped, jumping from his seat and moving towards the door. 

“No! Dad! Stop!” Stiles yelled, blocking the doorway and glaring at his dad, “He didn’t take advantage of me. I wanted it.” 

“You’re seventeen and just recovering from a demon possession, you don’t know what you want!” Noah replied angrily.

“Yes, I do! Dad, I do. I know what I want, and, I wanted Derek. Besides, I’m not your normal seventeen-year-old, I’ve seen and experienced more than most people will in their lifetimes, and, look, at the letter, I’m not as normal as I thought.” He admitted, and Erica wrinkled her brow in confusion before turning her attention to the letter in her hands. 

“I still don’t like it.” Noah grumbled.

“You don’t have to. But, I’m not going to let you arrest him for something I wanted too, that’s not fair dad and you know it. Besides, it won’t change anything. I’ve already called them. I’m going. I just wanted to tell you first.” 

“What?” Noah whispered hoarsely, terrified that he wasn’t going to be able to talk his son out of this. “When?” 

“They’re sending a car, they’ll be here in an hour.” Stiles replied, and Noah nodded numbly, blinking back tears, his son was leaving town and it was all Hale’s fault. 

“You’re leaving now…” Erica said, waving the paper in her hands with tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“An hour or so, yeah.” Stiles admitted, and Erica sobbed heavily, Stiles moving over to her and pulling her into a gentle hug, “Catwoman, don’t cry, it’s going to be fine, I’m going to be fine, better than fine.” He reassured her.

“I know, I know you will be.” She sobbed, “This, this is too good of an opportunity to miss out on, I know that, but, I just, I’m going to miss you.” She whispered into his chest and Stiles felt his own tears start.

“I’m going to miss you too, but, it’s not like I won’t have access to the outside world, we can call and text and skype and whatever, all the time, you’re pack to me too Erica.” Stiles said sincerely. 

“I don’t want you to go. I mean, this, you’re sure this is what you want? This is the route you want to take with your life? There’s so many other options available to you Stiles, you don’t have to choose this? You could do anything you want to.” Noah said.

“I want to do this dad. I’ve made up my mind, if I’m going to do anything good with my life, I want it to be this, besides, I’ll be following in your footsteps, sort of?” Stiles replied and Noah let out a shaky laugh.

“And I’m proud of you, I am, I just, it worries me, that’s all, but, if this is what you want, then I’ll support you, every step of the way, however I can, although I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to help you with this, but, it’s just, I’m going to miss you too.” Noah confessed, and Stiles looked at his dad a little teary eyed.

“Well same goes for you too old man.” He said, pulling his dad into a hug, “I’m going to miss you so much dad, but, I have to do this. Please?” 

“Fine, okay, yeah, just, you’re sure about all of this?” He indicated the letter in Erica’s hands and Stiles nodded.

“This is what I want to do. It feels right.” Stiles replied. 

“You’ll be careful?” Erica asked, and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Always.” He grinned. 

“And you’ll call? When you get there and whenever you can?” Noah added, and Stiles smiled fondly.

“Yeah, yes, definitely.”

“And you’ll send me shirts from time to time, so I don’t forget your scent?” Erica said and Stiles full on laughed.

“Yes, of course I will, I’ll send them to you whenever you want, but you have to send them back once in a while too, otherwise I’ll run out of clothes.” He joked, and Erica smiled. 

“We should get you all packed.” Noah said emotionally, and Stiles shook his head.

“Already done, my bags are upstairs.” He insisted, and Noah nodded. “We’re keeping this between the three of us, please? I mean, I’ll call Scott in a bit, tell him I’m leaving, but, the college, the course, that’s our secret, please?” 

“Yeah, of course.” Noah said firmly, and Erica nodded. 

“And if Derek orders me to tell him?” Erica asked, and Stiles shook his head.

“Derek won’t care enough to ask, but, if he orders you, tell him that I said ordering people to do things against their will is a pretty shit thing to do. Hopefully that’ll snap him out of it.” He said, and Erica nodded, looking upset but teeth gritted in resolve, Stiles was leaving, and she was going to lose her best friend.

“Erica, could you fetch his bags for us? I’d just like a word with Stiles?” Noah asked and Erica nodded, Stiles wasn’t going to remind his dad that Erica would be able to hear every word regardless, he waited until Erica disappeared upstairs before turning to Stiles, “If you’re leaving because of Derek, no matter how small of a part of you, then please don’t, don’t leave, don’t let him know he’s won.” 

“It’s not like that dad. I just, I misunderstood. He wasn’t doing it to hurt me or whatever, he wanted to let off some steam, I thought it was more than that, I was wrong. He cleared up any confusion as soon as I asked to go out on a date, so, you know, he didn’t lead me on, or let me think he wanted more or anything like that. Don’t be mad at him. Please?” 

“How can I not be?” Noah replied tearfully.

“Because I’m asking you not to? Please, dad, this whole thing is embarrassing enough, I already made an idiot out of myself, I really don’t need you and Erica defending my honour or whatever. Derek’s not the bad guy in this. I was the one who misunderstood and he’s not a bad guy, after everything he’s gone through, don’t make this even worse for him, don’t make it any harder for him.” Stiles pleaded, and Noah sighed heavily before nodding in agreement.

“Fine. I won’t have him arrested. But, if he thinks he can come crawling to you for help the first time they don’t know how to deal with whatever the creature of the week is after he told you that you weren’t pack, I want you to tell him where to shove it.” Noah said firmly, and Stiles swiped at his eyes before nodding and pulling his dad into another hug. 

“Yes sir.” He muttered, and Noah laughed which turned into a sob when he clung tighter to Stiles. 

“I’m going to miss you kiddo.” 

“I’ll just be at the other end of the phone, you can call me whenever you like, okay?” 

“Sure.” Noah nodded, pulling away when Erica reappeared with his bags in her hands. 

“I text Boyd, told him not to tell the others but to come here, I haven’t told him about the college, just that I need him to come.” Erica said and Stiles sighed, he could understand that Erica needed Boyd for support right now, he just wished he wasn’t causing so much upset by leaving, but, it was necessary. 

“Dad, can I talk to Erica for a minute?” He asked and Noah turned and moved towards the kitchen, out of earshot but clearly hovering. 

“I already heard. You don’t want to make this any harder for Derek blah blah blah. He slept with you and then kicked you out of the pack, excuse me if I don’t feel like being nice to the guy.” 

“He had good reasons Erica, besides, he’s your Alpha. You kind of have to be nice to him.” Stiles joked and Erica rolled her eyes, “Seriously,” Stiles said solemnly, “Please, don’t tell him that it’s anything to do with him, if you have to tell him about the acceptance letter or college or whatever, fine, but, don’t tell him it’s his fault or anything like that. I don’t think he deliberately tried to hurt me, and, it’s not fair if you try to deliberately hurt him.”

“Fine.” Erica grumbled unhappily but knowing she’d stick to it because it would make Stiles happy. 

“And, look after my dad, yeah? Make sure he eats enough and doesn’t work himself to death or anything like that? Keep him in the loop if there’s something dangerous in town so he can be prepared?” 

“Yeah, of course I will.” Erica said sincerely, “I’ll look after him Stiles, I swear I will, with everything I have. You just make sure you look after yourself too. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be easy.” She muttered and Stiles shrugged.

“We’ll find out. I might be back next week when I’ve realised I’m so not cut out for this.” Stiles joked. 

“No way. If anyone can do this, you can. You’re the bravest, smartest, most caring, incredible person I know, you’re my best friend Batman, you can do this. I know you can.” Erica said and Stiles looked to be on the verge of tears again. 

“Thanks Catwoman.” He said, clearing his throat slightly when there was a knock on the door and he turned to look at it, “I guess that’s my lift.” Stiles grinned sadly. 

He opened the door to two tall men in black suits, both peering at him suspiciously, a black town car parked at the sidewalk behind them. 

“Stiles?” The first one queried.

“Agent K.” Stiles joked and neither of them smiled, “Men in Black? Please tell me you’ve seen it?” They both looked at him blankly, “Okay, so, clearly I have my work cut out for me.” He grinned to Erica who shook her head in amusement. “Yeah, I’m Stiles.” 

“Are these your bags?” The second man smiled and Stiles nodded, “We’ll take them to the car for you while you say your goodbyes.” 

“Thanks.” Stiles muttered, turning to his dad to give him another hug. “I’m going to be fine. I’ll call as soon as I get there.”

“You best do. Love you son.” Noah said tightly and Stiles wasn’t sure he was going to get through saying goodbye without completely dissolving into tears. 

“Love you too dad.” He said before turning to Erica, “Be safe.”

“I will do. You too.” She replied and Stiles grinned.

“I’ll do my best.” 

“Me too. And, I’ll keep an eye on the rest of them too, I know how you worry.” She smiled and Stiles nodded tearfully. 

“Thanks. I’ll miss you.” 

“Me too.” Erica said, her voice cutting off slightly as tears threatened to overwhelm her. Thankfully Boyd appeared just as Stiles turned towards the car, not wanting to hold things up any longer and keep the men waiting. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Boyd said, taking in the scene in front of him, his girlfriend standing on the porch steps with Noah looking tearful and Stiles about to climb into some fancy looking car. 

“Hey man.” Stiles said in greeting, looking on the verge of bursting into tears himself.

“Are you okay? What’s happening? Are you going somewhere?” Boyd quizzed, trying to figure out if Stiles was in danger, if anything happened to Stiles, it would destroy all of them, Derek especially. The Alpha had barely been holding it together today and Boyd wasn’t an idiot, he knew it was because of Stiles, he just didn’t know the full details of what had happened.

“Yeah, yeah I am.” Stiles explained, “I got an early acceptance into college. I’m leaving now.” He lowered his voice slightly, “Look after Erica for me, I think she’s taking it pretty hard.” He whispered and Boyd surprised them both by pulling Stiles into a hard hug. 

“You don’t have to leave.”

“Yeah, I do.” Stiles replied, “Besides, it’ll be fun. Look after them for me. Until I get home.” 

“Which will be when?” Boyd asked and Stiles shrugged.

“I’m not sure.” He answered honestly. 

“Spring break is in a couple of months.” Boyd muttered and Stiles nodded.

“Yes it is, so, maybe, I don’t know. I have to get there first.” He joked, indicating the car behind him and Boyd nodded.

“Right, yeah, sure, course, I best let you get going then.” He said before freezing and catching Stiles’ arm, “Wait, what about the rest of the pack? Don’t you want to say a proper goodbye?” 

“I’ll call Scott when we’re on the road, explain things, but, other than that, I think a quiet exit is probably the best one.” He replied quietly and Boyd didn’t want to let him go, wanted to drag Stiles to Derek and tell Derek to fix this, that they couldn’t lose Stiles because of whatever had been said in the heat of the moment. He knew he couldn’t though. Stiles had made up his mind and Stiles was stubborn, they’d learned that much, there would be no changing his mind now, he was leaving and that was that. 

“We’ll miss you.” Boyd said sincerely and Stiles gave him a sad smile. 

“I’ll miss you more.” He teased before climbing into the back seat and shutting the door behind him. Boyd watched in a stunned silence as the car drove smoothly away and then Erica’s sobs tore him from his own thoughts, he moved towards his girlfriend who was clinging tightly to Noah, both of them had tears streaming down their cheeks and were shaking almost silently, Boyd was sure that he was in shock, sure that when the reality set in, that Stiles had left town, the hole in his chest would worsen, Stiles was a friend to him when nobody else had been, Stiles had supported them through everything. All they’d done was let him down, they hadn’t looked out for him properly, if they had then Gerard wouldn’t have been able to kidnap him, the nogitsune would never have been able to get a hold of him, the kelpie wouldn’t have been able to nearly drown him and he wouldn’t be leaving them now. 

He held Erica tightly, steering Noah back into the house and pouring the man a rather large measure of whiskey as they tried to process the fact that Stiles was gone. 

Stiles did call when he got there several hours later. He didn’t tell them about the fact Scott’s phone had gone straight to voicemail and Stiles had left him a message asking Scott to call him as soon as possible. He didn’t tell them that he had curled up in the back seat and sobbed until his tears dried up and he fell into a fitful sleep. He didn’t tell them that he caught sight of the marks on his neck in his reflection when he was being escorted to his room and nearly had a panic attack at the memory of the look on Derek’s face. He didn’t tell them that this morning he had woken up happy and believing that his life was finally starting to fix itself and that by midnight he was in another state, taking on the biggest challenge of his life, fearing he was about to make an even bigger idiot of himself and crying himself to sleep because he already missed his home, his dad, Erica, his pack. 

What he did tell them was that his room was huge, that it had a massive bay window that overlooked the garden of the estate, that he was only three rooms down from the most incredible library he’d ever seen, that he’d already met the dean and she’d been the one to escort him to his room, giving him the guided tour, introducing him to some of the other students who were all much older than Stiles and explaining that his training would begin first thing tomorrow. He tried to sound excited and not at all like he’d left his heart behind in Beacon Hills.


	2. Chapter 2

Stiles called several times over the next few weeks, whenever he got the chance which probably wasn’t as often as he would have liked, but, his life was pretty hectic, he had classes from eight in the morning until seven at night and then he had reports to write and research to complete and he’d often only squeeze in a couple of hours sleep a night. Stiles liked it that way though, he liked keeping busy, it meant less time to have nightmares of the nogitsune or of Derek or of any other of the hundreds of self-deprecating thoughts that ran through his mind on a daily basis. Also, the library was open twenty-four hours a day so Stiles pretty much lived there in his spare time, only going to his room when there were too many other students talking in there, keeping busy distracted him from the fact he was missing his home and it made sure he learned as much as could as quickly as could, in his mind, it was a win-win. It was why he’d signed up for so many classes when the other students only took two or three a day and yet he was taking seven or eight depending on their length.

He knew he was at a disadvantage here, not only because of his age, but because everyone else here had been training for years, had known what was expected of them once they reached eighteen and were prepared. Stiles was just doing his best to catch up, and, if he learned an extra few things here and there, well, it could only help.

Erica was missing Stiles, it was even worse than she thought it would be, Stiles had called a few times and she was really happy every time she spoke to him, he sounded good, he always had something exciting to tell her, but, she wished she could know how he was actually feeling, every time she tried mentioning Derek or the pack, Stiles would kind of go quiet before he started talking overly enthusiastically, clearly making the effort for her but not feeling it himself, she prayed that he was looking after himself properly. 

She left Noah’s house around seven in the evening to head across to the loft, the Stilinski household had become a second home to her for several reasons, because her own home life wasn’t brilliant at the moment, her mom and dad barely speaking to her since she had decided to ‘run off with that negro’ over summer. She hadn’t spoken to them since and the only reason she hadn’t moved out was because she had nowhere to go. Stiles had offered her the guest room at their house and she’d taken him up on it several times since he’d been freed from his possession, but she didn’t want to overwhelm him, they’d only just really become friends, she didn’t want him getting annoyed with her being around all the time, so she still stayed at home most of the time and then, just when she was certain they were best friends and nothing she could do would annoy Stiles, he left town. 

She was determined to keep her promise to Stiles, which meant keeping an eye on Noah, he didn’t seem to mind her being there, quite often Boyd would come over in the evenings and the three of them would watch something on the television while talking about what had happened in their days. Noah allowed both her and Boyd to sleep in Stiles’ room some nights, Erica appreciated that, she liked that his room still smelled of him, not like everywhere else that was already fading, his scent was gone from the loft completely and she hated it, it still lingered in the living room and kitchen downstairs but only very faintly, in his room she could open his wardrobe and still inhale his scent and that was the only thing that seemed to keep her happy most of the time. 

Erica knew she wasn’t the only one that had noticed the lack of Stiles’ scent, she’d noticed Malia sniffing her a few times recently but she wasn’t going to bring it up if none of them were. She made her way into the loft, moving quietly to Boyd and giving him a brief hug before going to the kitchen to pour herself a drink. 

“What’s up with you?” Cora asked, “You smell miserable.” 

“Nothing.” Erica replied morosely, wishing Scott would stop sucking face with Allison to tell her it was okay, that he missed Stiles too. 

“She’s just missing Stiles.” Boyd explained when Cora looked ready to start an argument. 

“Well, call him up and tell him to get his ass over here, I haven’t seen him in forever either and he’s entertaining.” Malia said simply and Erica rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah sure thing, hang on, I’ll just call him and tell him to come home because you are bored.” Erica said sarcastically. 

“What do you mean ‘come home’?” Derek growled and everyone in the room stilled, Scott actually looking away from Allison to look at Derek. 

“Uh, what I said.” Erica replied snappily, just because she wasn’t going to tell Derek what a dick he was, didn’t mean she was going to play happy families. 

“It’s okay, I’ll call him now.” Scott said, pulling out his phone and calling Stiles, it rang a few times before Stiles’ voicemail kicked in and Scott looked at it in puzzlement. “Weird, he usually answers, well, I can just go over and see him.” 

“Yeah, that’s a great idea, why don’t you go do that Scott.” Erica said through gritted teeth and Scott looked at her in confusion.

“Why do I feel like we’re missing something here?” Lydia remarked and Erica shrugged.

“Other than Stiles?” Erica scoffed. “Why don’t you tell them Scott? Seems so you’re his best friend and everything?” 

“Tell them what? What are you talking about?” Scott asked. 

“Playing dumb really suits you.” 

“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about Erica. Is something wrong with Stiles? Is he okay?” Scott asked and Erica looked at him in shock, Scott genuinely didn’t know that Stiles was gone, that he had been gone for three weeks already. 

“Erica, relax.” Boyd said in her ear and it was only then that Erica realised she was breathing heavily and her claws were already out. 

“He left.” She snapped when she got her breathing under control, “He left town, three weeks ago. Not that any of you even bothered to notice.” 

“What?” Derek said looking floored, he looked like he was about to throw up and Erica felt a sick sense of satisfaction at that, good, after what he’d put her best friend through, he deserved to feel like shit. 

“I said he left town. People to see. Things to do. All that crap.” She remarked, the entire room looked stunned into silence before suddenly everyone was rushing to their phones, obviously desperate to get a hold of Stiles, prove that Erica was lying, because how could they not have noticed Stiles had been gone for three weeks? 

There were several aggressive voicemails left on Stiles’ phone, all of them instructing him to call them urgently, Erica couldn’t help but feel smug that Stiles hadn’t answered for any of them, she cleared her throat pointedly, ensuring every eye was on her when she dialled Stiles’ number. 

“Erica, I swear to god if someone isn’t dead I’m going to fucking kill one of them.” Stiles hissed as soon as the phone connected. 

“Nobody is dead. Everyone just wanted to speak to you, tell you how much they miss you, hey, I thought you said you would call Scott?” Erica said, dancing out of reach when Scott tried to snatch the phone from her hand. 

“I did. Left him a message asking him to call me back urgently but he didn’t.” Stiles confessed, “Look, Rica, if this isn’t urgent I’ve really got to run, I was in the middle of something.” 

“Yeah, sure thing batman. Call me when you’re done for the day. Love you.” She grinned. 

“Love you too Catwoman.” Stiles replied before the call disconnected. 

“Give me your fucking phone.” Scott snarled, practically jumping over Boyd in an attempt to get to Erica. 

“Why? So you can ignore his calls? Again? And you call yourself his best friend!” She laughed humourlessly. 

“You let him leave!?” Scott screamed back, his claws fully extended and looking ready to rip Erica to shreds, “How can you call yourself his friend!? You let him leave town without saying goodbye to any of us.” 

“I don’t call myself his friend, I’m his BEST friend, you lost that right when you didn’t even bother to go and see him after Allison got out of the hospital. I get it, you love her, she nearly died, you’re back together and everything is perfect, but, Stiles fucking NEEDED you! He needed you Scott and you were nowhere to be seen! So yeah, I stepped up, I was there for him, because he needed someone to tell him it was going to be okay, that it wasn’t his fault what that fucking demon did, that you didn’t hate him for nearly killing Allison when he was possessed! And you know what, yeah, I let him leave town, he said goodbye to the people that mattered, he told his dad, he told me, he told Boyd, he tried to tell you but you didn’t answer your phone! AGAIN!” She shouted at him in reply and Scott stilled, looking like he was going to pass out, like his whole world had just been torn from its axis, the rest of the pack looking on in similar states of shock.

“I didn’t know he felt like that.” Scott muttered eventually and Erica glared at him.

“Obviously.” She said disdainfully. 

“I should have realised.” 

“Yeah you should have. You should have been there to try and talk him out of it, to tell him it was a stupid idea and you wanted him to stay.” Erica said, her words said to Scott but her gaze was fixed on Derek. “But, you fucked that up too.” She said and Derek flinched at her words, yeah, it was definitely satisfaction she felt. 

“When did he leave?” Isaac asked in a small voice and Erica looked at Derek, knowing he wouldn’t miss the meaning behind her words.

“The day after the kelpie attack.” 

“But, that was, you and…You said you had a disagreement, not that you made him want to leave town!” Lydia shouted at Derek who looked like his whole world was crumbling around him. 

“He didn’t leave because of Derek.” Erica sighed eventually, putting Derek out of his misery, the Alpha still looked pretty fucking miserable though and Erica wondered if she might be missing something, “He left because he was offered an opportunity too good to pass up.” 

“An opportunity? What kind of opportunity?” Peter quizzed and Erica smiled proudly.

“College. He applied over summer. Got an early acceptance. Decided to go for it.” She surmised.

“So, he’s at college? Where?” Allison asked and Erica shook her head.

“You want to know that information you have to speak to him. We made a pact.” She grinned and everyone looked to Boyd.

“She’s serious, she won’t even tell me.” He answered and Erica smiled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. 

“You’d cave and tell all of them, I know you’re a softie at heart and they deserve to work for it.” She teased.

“What about his dad? Is he okay? Was he okay with Stiles leaving?” Scott asked and Erica nodded.

“He agreed that if it was what Stiles wanted then he’d deal with it.” 

“We should go see him, check he’s okay.” Cora said and they moved as one towards the door. 

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” She said, looking at Derek specifically, “Noah knows, about everything, about your whole ‘little disagreement’ so I really wouldn’t risk it if you don’t want a bullet in the brain.” 

“What do you mean ‘everything’?” Derek asked, feeling like his whole world had crumbled, he’d not wanted Stiles to leave, he’d wanted him safe, not out there in the world by himself where anything could happen to him and Derek wasn’t around to protect him. 

“What? You want me to clarify in front of the whole pack?” Erica said and Derek growled.

“What are you talking about?” Malia asked. 

“I think what Derek is meaning is, does Noah know that he had sex with Stiles? Or does he know about the fact he then told Stiles that it was a mistake and that he wasn’t even part of the pack? Because the answer is yes, he knows, about everything, and to say you aren’t his favourite person right now would be an understatement.” Erica replied easily, Derek grimaced at her words and the entire pack looked at him in surprise, Peter rolling his eyes at Erica’s dramatics. 

“You slept with Stiles!?” Scott said in shock, “What? When? How was this even a thing?” 

“How did you not know? The whole place stank of sex for days.” Cora said, Derek blushed at that but his wolf hummed in pride, it was glad that their den had smiled like Stiles and Derek together and it wanted it to smell like them again, except, Stiles had left them and it was Derek’s fault.

“I need to talk to him.” Derek said urgently, grabbing his jacket and marching out the door.

“Derek he’s going to shoot you!” Peter warned but Derek ignored him, jumping in his car and driving to the Stilinski household.

“I’m going to have to give you a key!” Noah called as he walked towards the door, fully expecting to open it and see Erica, definitely not imagining that he was going to be greeted with a very agitated looking Derek Hale and the rest of the pack pulling up in their cars behind him.

“I didn’t want him to leave!” Derek said instantly and Noah glared at him, not giving Derek any warning when he punched him square in the face. Derek stumbled backwards, surprised by the sudden impact while Noah clutched at his fist, almost certain that he’d broken something but feeling it was definitely worth it. “Ow!” Derek cursed, grabbing his nose and pulling it back into place before it started to heal wrong. 

“Serves you right, you bastard.” Noah cursed, letting Erica enter and shaking his head fondly when she rushed to the freezer, grabbed him an ice packet and wrapped it around his bruising knuckles.

“You should leave the physical aspects to the people who heal.” Boyd commented and Noah shrugged.

“Worth it.” He said through gritted teeth as the pack piled into the living room while Derek still stood in the doorway looking distraught.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered in horror.

“For what? Taking advantage of my underage, traumatised son? Or kicking him out of the pack? The only thing he had left holding him together?” Noah snapped and Derek grimaced.

“Be fair Noah.” Erica said and Derek glanced at her, he didn’t expect her to defend him, hell, he expected her to never speak to him again and he fully understood, “Stiles said that he didn’t take advantage. Don’t make him feel even worse.”

“I don’t think you could if you tried.” Peter commented and everyone stared at him as if waiting for a further explanation while Derek just glared at him, “I was in the loft the morning of their ‘little disagreement’,” Peter began and Derek growled at him, Peter rolled his eyes before continuing, “I happen to know that every word Derek spoke was lies, I just haven’t figured out why yet.” 

“What do you mean? What does he mean? You were lying? About what?” Erica said and Derek glared at the floor, not knowing how to get himself out of this mess.

“You’re going to tell us why you lied to him, or I’m going to get my gun out and start putting holes in you that aren’t going to heal instantly.” Noah threatened and Derek gulped, he believed every word the man said and he really didn’t feel like getting shot. 

“To keep him safe.” He muttered quietly and Noah stared at him.

“What?” Noah asked in confusion and Derek blushed slightly before repeating his words, slightly louder and clearer this time. 

“To keep him safe.” Derek said again and Noah stared at him in puzzlement, as if trying to slot together the information he was missing and his mouth dropping open in shock when the answer he arrived at was not one he’d ever expected.

“You love him.” Noah said stunned. 

“What!?” Erica shouted, looking at Derek in shock.

“I, um, I just…” Derek said uncertainly.

“No, I mean, you really love him.” Noah replied and Derek blushed. “So, wait, let me get this straight, you love him, you slept with him, and then, what? You decided he’d be safer not in your life?” Noah asked and Derek nodded in defeat, Noah turned a bright shade of red, his teeth gritted together and Derek could smell the rage coming off the older man, “You deliberately hurt my son! You deliberately told him that it was nothing, that he wasn’t special and that he wasn’t pack! I don’t care if you were doing it for his own good! I don’t care if you thought it was best for him! That was Stiles’ choice to make! You took that away from him! You made my son think that he wasn’t good enough for you! You stupid, idiotic, son of a bitch!” Noah shouted and Derek felt each word hit him like a train. Before Derek could even begin to defend his actions, Erica’s phone started to ring and she answered it quickly. 

“Hey! So, what was going on earlier? Didn’t interrupt anything did I?” Erica asked and Stiles groaned in reply.

“You mean other than getting the one tutor who already thinks I’m a piece of shit to almost kick me out of class just because my phone wouldn’t stop going off?” Stiles replied lightly and Derek wanted to find this college and the tutor and tear his throat out. 

“Yeah, other than that.” Erica laughed. 

“Not much, just heading to grab a coffee. What’s the stitch? Everyone sounds like they’re freaking out?” Stiles asked.

“Nah, everything is fine, they just figured out that you left and decided to start acting like friends.” Erica replied and Stiles snorted with laughter while Scott looked ready to rip her throat out. 

“I thought it was something serious!” Stiles laughed, “Oh hang on, one sec, yeah, um, can I get a double expresso please?” Stiles ordered.

“What have I told you about ordering coffee at this time of night?” Erica scolded and Derek could practically see Stiles’ eye roll from here. 

“It’s only eight.” Isaac piped up and Noah glared at him. 

“It’s only eight here.” Noah replied.

“And Stiles isn’t near here?” Cora remarked. 

“I thought your last class finished at eight today? What were you still doing there at” She glanced at her watch, “Almost eleven?” Erica continued, ignoring their conversation. 

“Give me the phone!” Scott demanded and Erica stuck her tongue out. 

“Just running through some extra coursework.” Stiles replied easily, oblivious to Scott’s words. “Anyway, like, if this isn’t an emergency, I kind of have to get this assignment done and I’m already going to be up most of the night so…”

“Well you’re the one who took on all the extra classes, you’re going to burn yourself out at this rate, you’ve only been there three weeks Stiles, you should take it easy.” Erica advised, barely finishing her sentence before Cora and Scott both tackled her to the ground and Scott scrambled after the phone that had slipped from her hand in the scuffle. 

“Stiles!? Stiles, you there!?” Scott asked in a panic and there was a moment’s silence before Stiles cleared his throat slightly. 

“Hey Scotty, you okay?” 

“Oh my god, I’m sorry, god, I’m so sorry Stiles! I must have deleted your voicemail by mistake, but I still should have called you, and, I should have been here, you should have been able to tell me about what was going on with you, please, please come home, I need you here.” Scott pleaded before Stiles let out a heavy sigh.

“I’m not coming home Scott. I’m at college. I’m enjoying it here. There’s loads of different classes and I’m learning so much, besides, you don’t need me there, you’ll manage just fine without me.”

“I won’t Stiles. I need you home, I need to know you’re okay.” Scott begged.

“I’m fine, you can always call and I’ll tell you I’m fine.”

“But I need you here Stiles, please?” Scott whispered sounding pathetic enough that even Derek wanted to hug him.

“You don’t need me Scott. You haven’t needed me for a long time. I’ve been gone three weeks and you only noticed because Erica told you.” The hurt in Stiles’ voice was clear for all of them to hear, “And the three weeks before that, I hadn’t even seen you, not since Allison woke up in the hospital. You don’t need me Scott, and, honestly, I don’t need to be in Beacon Hills right now, I need to be out here.” Stiles snapped in reply and Scott looked to be on the verge of tears.

“I’m so sorry Stiles, if I’d known, if you’d said, I would have been here for you, we could have talked about what you were feeling, and we could have fixed this, you didn’t need to leave.” Scott whispered. 

“I shouldn’t have had to tell you Scott, you should have thought about me, just once, but you didn’t. I called you and you ignored me or you deleted the voicemails or whatever, I needed you Scott, I needed my brother to be there for me, tell me it wasn’t my fault…”

“It wasn’t. I thought you already knew that, I didn’t tell you because I thought it was obvious Stiles. It wasn’t your fault, it was the nogitsune, all of it, it was that monster, if you don’t want to come home for me, come home for the pack, we won’t survive without you…”

“It doesn’t matter Scott, whatever you say, right now, it’s not going to make any difference, I’m not coming home, I’m at college, I’m staying here. Besides, the pack will manage fine without me, they always have done and it’s not like I’m actually pack anyway.” 

“No, you are…” Scott started to insist before Derek grabbed the phone from him and growled him into submission.

“Erica will call you tomorrow.” Derek said tightly before disconnecting the call. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” Erica shouted going to snatch her phone back before Derek flashed his eyes and the whole room stilled. 

“You have to tell him!” Cora said a moment later, “You have to tell him you lied! You have to tell him he’s pack and you have to make him come home!”

“No.” Derek snarled, “Stiles can never know about my feelings.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Peter said in exasperation but Derek continued growling at them.

“He’s safe! He’s away from here, he’s at college, he’s going out and getting coffee at whatever time of the night without worrying about getting attacked by the creature of the week!” Derek explained, his voice softening slightly, “He’s safe and he sounds happy and that’s what I wanted for him. I don’t want him back here, in danger, running for his life all the time, getting hurt all the time, nearly dying over and over. This is what I wanted for him, a normal life.” 

“You don’t even know…” Erica began but Derek growled at her again.

“I don’t care, as far as Stiles knows, I have no feelings for him and he’s not part of the pack, that’s the way it’s going to stay. Unless you’d rather drag him back here? Back into danger? Back into nearly dying on a daily basis? I’m the Alpha and my word goes. He never finds out. Anyone want to disagree with me on that?” He snarled and the pack all looked ready to argue before one by one they stared at the floor defeated, Derek looked to Noah who was staring at Derek in bemusement before his eyes went hard.

“As far as I’m concerned my son is better off as far away from you as possible. I tell him that you lied, that you love him and I know he’ll come running back. No chance am I ever letting you hurt him again.” Noah said firmly and Derek nodded in agreement, he’d done something terrible, he’d hurt Stiles on purpose, he understood why Noah hated him, he hated himself, but, he was right about this, keeping Stiles safe was what mattered. 

Stiles stared at the phone in his hand in a stunned silence, he hadn’t expected to hear Derek’s voice and it had been enough to cause his heart to stutter, his chest to heave, his breath to falter and the place where his heart used to be throb painfully. He knew it wasn’t Derek’s fault, he knew that, but, god, every time he thought of him he thought of that night, of how perfect it had been and then he’d remind himself of the morning after, when Derek had looked at him like he was nothing. Stiles gritted his teeth, slid his phone into his pocket, pulled his bag a little closer and took a swig of his coffee, Derek Hale was in the past, he was nothing to him, not anymore, Stiles had to focus on what he was here for, look towards the future, which Derek Hale was not going to be a part of, well, not as anything other than the local Alpha werewolf. Even if part of him wanted to call Derek back and tell him he was a fucking jackass, just because Stiles had misunderstood, just because Stiles had made an idiot of himself, Derek didn’t have to be fucking rude about it. He gritted his teeth, Derek was nothing to him.

He headed away from the coffee shop a block away from the house, there was a coffee room in the house that he used most of the time as they gave out free coffee and it was only three floors away from the library, but, he’d wanted some peace and quiet away from the house when he called Erica, not really knowing what to expect. He’d seen all the missed calls, listened to the voicemails, it was obvious they knew he had left, he knew they’d no doubt all be there when he called Erica back, meaning he’d have to be careful about what he said.

He hated arguing with Scott like that, he hated knowing that he was hurting him, but, what he was doing now, it was for him, it was to make him better, stronger, more capable, he wanted this, he wanted to be someone that he could be proud of, so that he could make amends for everything he’d done wrong in his life up until now. He would not fuck up again.

Erica was fuming, but, honestly, Noah was right, Stiles deserved better than Derek, he deserved to be with someone who would never hurt him on purpose, even if she understood that Derek was doing it because he cared, that he thought it was what was best for Stiles, she still thought it was wrong, but, she couldn’t argue with her Alpha, and, if Derek was going to be too much of an idiot to admit that he and Stiles were good together then she wasn’t going to enlighten Stiles. 

She called Stiles back later, once everyone else had gone home and there was only her and Noah left in the Stilinski household.

“Hey.” Stiles answered on the fourth ring, he sounded tired and sad and Erica wished he was here or she was there so she could hug him and tell him it was okay. 

“Hey, they’re gone, just me and your dad.” She said, putting the phone on speaker so that Noah could contribute to the conversation. 

“I think we need to come up with a code word, so, I’ll know if they are there without you saying it.” Stiles said and Erica shook her head in bemusement.

“Like ‘penguin’?” She suggested and Stiles laughed.

“No, something that wouldn’t be suspicious, so, like, if they aren’t there call me batman and I’ll know it’s safe to talk.” Stiles explained. 

“Yeah, but, I call you batman all the time, what if I mess up and you say something you shouldn’t?” 

“How about Mica?” Noah input and Erica looked at him in confusion while Stiles was silent on the other end.

“What’s Mica?” Erica asked in confusion.

“My name.” Stiles said simply, “Or, well, what my mom used to call me, short for Mieczyslaw. You best take that secret to the grave though, not even Scott knows that.” He teased and Erica grinned. 

“Sure thing, so, when it’s safe I’ll call you Mica, and, if it’s not, we’ll stick with Stiles or batman.” She confirmed and Noah nodded, “Is this something they taught you at college?” She asked and Stiles chuckled.

“Maybe. You know I can’t say what they do or don’t teach me.”

“Otherwise you’d have to kill me, yeah I know.” She laughed.

“So, anyway, are you getting out and about and seeing the town? You’re not working too hard, are you? Making friends? I hear Virginia is supposed to be beautiful at this time of year.” Noah said.

“Yeah, I’m seeing a few places, and, um, I know a few people yeah, but, they’re a lot older than me, and, they’ve got more free time.” Stiles replied, “But, anyway, what’s been going on with you guys? Any monsters of the month yet?” 

“No.” Erica supplied, “It’s been pretty quiet since you left actually, although, Derek thinks something is going to appear at any minute, he’s got us all training at least four times a week.” Erica explained and Stiles tried not to be even more hurt at the fact they’d met up at least twelve times since he’d left at this was the first time anyone had noticed that he wasn’t there. 

“That’s good, that you’re training but also that it’s safe at the moment.” He sighed, looking at the assignment in front of him, “I’m going to have to go, I’ve got to get this work done as soon as possible, I’ll call in a few days, that okay?”

“Sure thing son. Enjoy yourself.” 

“I will do. And, I know I’ve said it before, but, this stays between the three of us? I don’t want them to know where I am or what I’m doing, not until I’m ready.”

“Absolutely. Besides, they totally deserve to have to work for that knowledge.” Erica teased and Stiles smiled softly. 

“Don’t wind them up too much Catwoman, I know you’re getting all protective of me, and I appreciate it, but, they’re good people, they’re your pack, they’re family, don’t be too hard on them.”

“You’re my family too.” She insisted. 

“I know, same goes for me, I just, I don’t want you to ruin your relationships with them on my behalf. I know I’m not pack to them, but I still love all of them and I don’t want to lose touch with them and I don’t want them thinking I hate them just because I needed to get out of town.” 

“Fine. I’ll behave, but, you are pack Stiles, I know Derek told you otherwise, but, to me, you will always be pack.” Erica said, not going against Derek’s orders but it was important Stiles knew how much she cared about him. 

“You’re always pack to me too Rica, I’ve really got to go, okay? Love you guys.” 

“Love you too kiddo, take it easy, don’t work too hard.” Noah said. 

“Have fun!” Erica laughed and hung up the phone. 

Lydia was so frustrated, it had been almost a month since they’d found out that Stiles had left and she had barely been able to speak to him since, he answered his phone when she called, or rang her back within a couple of hours if he didn’t, explaining that he had been in a class and wasn’t allowed to answer his phone. Lydia had tried to ask him about his college, his course, what classes he was taking, but, his answers had been vague at best, she knew he was somewhere about three hours ahead of them, but that didn’t really narrow it down, she knew he was taking criminology and law which didn’t surprise her, but, he didn’t provide any specifics. Still, that wasn’t the reason she was frustrated right now, no, she was frustrated because of Jackson.

They’d been speaking the past few months, they’d actually been getting on really well and she was kind of hopeful for a reunion, okay, he was still living in London and she was in Beacon Hills, but, other relationships had survived worse and maybe she could move to London once she graduated or maybe he’d be willing to come home, it was something she had been thinking about in considerable detail. Then he had to ruin it.

Jackson had begun asking her questions, about the pack, about how everyone was, she’d taken it to mean that he was interested in everyone, wanting to know how they were, so she told him about Allison and Scott getting back together, not going into the specifics as to why, told him about Stiles leaving to go off to college and none of them, other than Erica and Noah, knew where, told him about Isaac and Cora getting on really well and how Kira got on really well with Peter for some reason unknown to Lydia. She hadn’t realised that he was quizzing her for information on the pack structure until Derek mentioned something and she felt suddenly sick, was Jackson using her to get info on the pack? Was he planning on attacking them or something? Derek didn’t seem to think so, or at least that’s what he told her, but it didn’t ease her guilt, what if she’d said something to help Jackson’s pack attack hers? She wanted to talk to Stiles about it, knew he’d have all the answers, she wanted to go to his house and watch as he explained every possible outcome to her, put her mind at ease and instead he was however many hundreds of miles away and she missed him.

“What do you want Jackson?” She snapped as she answered the phone at the loft, ignoring the look of amusement on Scott’s face, he’d repeatedly told Lydia that things would never work between her and Jackson and Lydia had been so desperate to prove him wrong. 

“I know you’re mad at me.” Jackson said sounding muffled.

“Damn right I am. So, what do you want?” 

“I didn’t want the information to attack the pack or whatever you’re thinking…”

“So why did you want it!?” She demanded. 

“I didn’t. I’m not…I wasn’t asking for me. My Alpha. He, he heard rumours, about the Beacon Hills pack, and, he asked me to see if I could find out if they were true without arousing your suspicions.” Jackson explained. 

“What kind of rumours?” Peter asked as the entire room listened in, wondering what could have been said about them that roused the curiosity of werewolves in London. 

“I shouldn’t say…” Jackson whispered sounding worried. 

“Jackson!” Lydia rolled her eyes, “Just tell us what he’s so interested in.” 

“A demon.” Jackson confessed, “He heard one of you got possessed by a nogitsune, that the person survived, which has never been done before, and, well, he’s very interested in that person, like, he’d be willing to do a lot of bad stuff to get this person, so, whoever it is, if it’s true, you need to watch out for them.” 

“It’s true.” Lydia whispered sounding terrified, looking at the pack who all looked equally as stunned, Derek looked like he was ready to tear somebody’s throat out, like he wasn’t sure if to try and find Stiles or fly to London and tear the other Alpha apart. 

“God, is, was it you? Are you okay?” Jackson asked with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine, it wasn’t me, I’m fine.” She said, “Erica, we need to make sure he’s okay.” Lydia said urgently as her mind started to race, god, Stiles could be in danger, he could be in danger and they needed to find him, make sure he was safe. 

“I’m on it.” Erica said, already calling Stiles’ phone. 

“He? Boyd? No, no, don’t tell me, it’s better I don’t know.” Jackson rambled quietly. 

“Gone to voicemail.” She muttered, “Stiles, call me back when you get this, it’s urgent.” 

“Stiles? It was Stiles? Is that why he left?” Jackson asked and then cursed himself, “Damn it, I shouldn’t know, I can’t know, I have to tell him.”

“What? Tell who?” Scott demanded.

“My Alpha. I have to tell him.”

“No. If you tell him Stiles is in danger.” Derek snarled, feeling like this whole thing was spiralling out of control too quickly. 

“I know that! But I have to tell him.” Jackson replied.

“No, you don’t!” Lydia snapped.

“No, you don’t understand, I HAVE to tell him. He ordered me to find out. I can’t not tell him. Shit! I can’t, I have to tell him. You have to protect Stiles. You have to get to him and keep him safe.” Jackson said and Derek cursed. 

“There’s no way he knows it’s Stiles though, not yet at least, right?” Derek demanded, and Jackson paused. 

“I guess not.” 

“So he’s safe, for at least a few hours, that gives us enough time to get to him, Erica, we can get to him in a few hours, right?” Derek quizzed and Erica paused, looking thoughtful before nodding. 

“It’ll have to be a flight.” She muttered sighing in relief when her phone started ringing. 

“What’s up?” Stiles whispered and Erica felt the tension in her chest drain away at his voice as she put the phone on speaker, he was safe. 

“Stiles, thank god you’re okay, Jackson’s Alpha in London, he heard about you surviving the nogitsune, he’s very interested in you. Jackson told us to get to you, to make sure you’re safe.” She supplied and Stiles laughed brightly.

“This is serious Stiles! You’re in danger!” Scott said seriously. 

“Scotty, you guys don’t know where I am, Erica and dad do, they’re the only ones who do. This Alpha, whoever the hell he is, is going to have serious issues finding me unless he gets the address from one of them. Protect them and I’ll be fine. Besides, the campus is pretty secure, and, if he somehow found which college I was out and somehow found his way into my room, I have plenty of wolfsbane here, I’m well protected from a werewolf attack.” Stiles teased and Erica rolled her eyes. 

“You’re not in the least bit worried about the fact an Alpha werewolf is planning on hunting you down?” Jackson quizzed over the phone and Stiles chuckled. 

“The day I start fearing Alpha werewolves is the day I lose whatever is left of my sanity.” He replied, “Besides, it’s super cute that you care about me Jacks, like, honestly, I’m getting all tingly inside.” He joked and everyone laughed apart from Derek who still looked terrified, “Anyway, I gotta get back, my coffee is going cold.” 

“Be careful, and, call us if anything weird happens.” Boyd insisted, “Even if it’s the smallest thing.”

“Sure thing, you keep my dad and Catwoman safe, okay?” 

“I will do Stiles, I promise.” Boyd said solemnly. 

“Alright, talk to you later.” He replied before hanging up. Derek looked around at the pack before moving to the door, his mind made up, he didn’t care what Noah would say to him, Derek was going to protect him. 

“Stay here, keep her safe, don’t let her out of your sight.” He snapped before getting in his car and driving to the sheriff’s station. He received a few odd looks when he arrived, nothing he wasn’t used to, he was sure all the deputies knew that he was always involved in some kind of trouble or another, but, since they weren’t aware of the supernatural, he guessed he just looked like a troublemaker.

“Can I help you?” The deputy on the front desk asked just as Noah came out of his office and he saw Derek, his face setting into a scowl.

“Hale. What are you doing here?” 

“I need to speak to you, urgently.” Derek replied, hoping he didn’t sound as terrified as he felt, Stiles was hundreds of miles away and he was in danger and if Derek hadn’t been such an idiot in the first place then maybe Stiles would still be here, Derek could protect him. Noah must have realised that something was wrong, he studied Derek for a moment before nodding, motioning for Derek to follow him into his office while telling the deputy on the desk to hold his calls for a minute. 

“Alright, what’s going on? Is someone dead?” Noah asked as soon as the door closed, standing across the office from Derek but not sitting in his chair, instead leaning against the wall near the window, glancing outside as if he expected to see a dead body in the front seat of Derek’s car.

“No, but, Stiles is in danger.” Derek said solemnly.

“What?” Noah looked panicked, “What kind of danger?” 

“Jackson’s Alpha in London, he’s apparently very interested in the person who survived the nogitsune, Jackson found out it was Stiles and he has to tell his Alpha, he’s under orders, as soon as his Alpha has Stiles’ name, he’s going to go after him.” Derek explained and Noah collapsed into the sofa looking oddly relieved. 

“He won’t be able to find him.” Noah said and Derek gritted his teeth.

“That’s what Stiles said. He told us not to worry, that Erica and you are the only ones who know where he is. Jackson knows that too. This Alpha might send people after you.” Derek said and Noah smirked. 

“He’s welcome to try.” Noah said, standing back to his feet and moving towards the door, “Now, if that’s all…”

“Are you kidding me!?” Derek growled and Noah looked at him stunned, “You are the only thing standing between this Alpha and Stiles!”

“Yeah, and if I can’t kill him then I’ll die before I tell him where Stiles is.” Noah said simply and Derek stared at him incredulously. 

“Neither of them are options. You’re under the protection of the pack, from now on, you don’t go anywhere without a member of the pack until this threat is eliminated.” Derek ordered and Noah rolled his eyes.

“I don’t need anything from you, I can protect myself just fine.” Noah replied coldly, moving to open the door, Derek slammed a hand into it and held it closed. 

“I don’t care if you are protected or not. I want Stiles safe. I get you don’t like me, fair enough, I don’t blame you. You don’t think I’m good enough for Stiles, fine. But, Stiles’ safety is my priority and I’m not going to let you risk that just because you think you could hold out against whatever this Alpha might do to you. So, until further notice, until I know this guy isn’t going to be a threat, you don’t leave my sight, understand?” Derek snarled and Noah looked at him in puzzlement for a moment before nodding and moving back to his desk. 

“Just for the record,” Noah muttered as he collected several files together and shoved them into his bag, “I didn’t have any issues with you up until you hurt him. I actually thought you were a decent guy, right up until the point you broke his heart.” Noah pushed past him with his laptop and bag of files, “Sam, I’m going to be out of the office for a few hours, I’ll be on my mobile.” Noah said firmly while Derek stared after him in shock, the idea that Noah could have liked him, that things could have been different if he hadn’t pushed Stiles into leaving. He clenched his fists and shook his head, he’d fucked up, he’d ruined things, he hadn’t just destroyed any chance of a romantic relationship with Stiles, he’d destroyed any kind of friendship they had too and destroyed any chance of Noah ever approving of him. 

Derek drove them back to the loft in silence, stewing over all the mistakes he’d made, how he should have kept Stiles close, he should have protected him, told him how much he mattered to Derek and that he’d do anything to keep him safe. Instead, he’d pushed him away, he’d been the one to destroy anything good they could have had, it was his fault, and he wished he hadn’t, he wished he could go back and change things, but, he couldn’t, and, more importantly if Stiles had stuck around Derek would have ended up hurting him eventually, Derek didn’t deserve a happy ending, he knew that.

“So what’s the plan here?” Noah asked as soon as he arrived at the loft and plopped down in the seat next to Erica, “I mean, we can’t just hide here and wait for this guy to turn up? And, what does he think he’s going to do? Turn up here and demand we tell him where Stiles is? He’s got to realise that’s not going to work, right?” 

“Jackson said he’d do his best to keep Stiles’ identity secret for as long as he could, but, he’ll have to tell him eventually, he’s also going to tell us as soon as he knows how the Alpha is going to respond.” Lydia supplied and Noah grunted.

“Okay, so, we just sit here and wait?” He said sarcastically and Peter smirked. 

“We don’t know that Jackson will be able to tell us, the Alpha could forbid him from talking to us or tell him a pack of lies or order him to tell us lies, we need to prepare for all eventualities.” Peter remarked. 

“Fine, well, I can’t sit here until he attacks, I actually have a job to do, so, until you get something more concrete to work with, I’m going to head back to my office and do what I’m paid to do.” Noah said climbing back to his feet and rolling his eyes when Derek blocked his path. 

“I was serious, you don’t leave my sight.” Derek said determinedly. 

“Fine, come back to the station with me, sit on my sofa and glare at whatever takes your fancy, but, not all of us have so much money that they don’t have to consider actual employment to pay their bills.” Noah replied and Derek looked annoyed but gritted his teeth and followed Noah out of the loft. 

By early evening Derek was frustrated beyond belief, he was bored, all he’d done was watch Noah complete paperwork all afternoon, but he was also on edge, he knew it was unlikely that the mystery Alpha would have been able to find someone willing to attack Noah already, but, still, he knew it was a possibility and he was worried, if he failed to protect Noah, if Noah gave up Stiles’ location, then Stiles would be at the mercy of an Alpha werewolf and it would be Derek’s fault. He couldn’t let him get hurt.

“If you’re going to be sitting there for the foreseeable you might as well do something useful.” Noah said an hour later, a call had come in about a possible break in and Noah was supposed to head out to check the scene, he motioned for Derek to follow him and together they drove out to the house. “So, you hear anything? Smell anything?” He asked when they pulled up and Derek rolled his eyes before closing them to concentrate on what he could hear in the house. 

“There’s someone in there, they smell nervous, but not massively, not like the owner who has just returned home to find their home broken into, more, nervous they’re going to get caught.” 

“Where abouts in the house?” Noah asked sounding awed. 

“Kitchen, I’ll go around the back, you come in through the front, door is unlocked.” Derek replied before sliding smoothly out of the car and disappearing into the darkened back yard.

The take down was simple with Derek’s help and Noah was more than a little impressed, of course he’d known about werewolf enhanced senses, but, he’d not thought of their practicalities until this very moment, before he’d thought about it he’d opened his mouth and offered Derek a position as deputy at the station, explaining that he could at least be useful while he was babysitting Noah. Plus, his cruel side decided that he could give Derek as many shitty jobs as he felt like in order to make him pay for upsetting Stiles and, as his boss, Derek wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. 

Derek found himself accepting the position before he’d really thought it through, thinking that he’d be able to stick close to Noah without arousing suspicion and maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to convince the older man that he wasn’t a complete and utter fuck up.


	3. Chapter 3

It was three weeks before they heard from Jackson again, Derek was settling in nicely at the sheriff’s station, Noah was incredibly impressed with Derek’s attitude, no matter what Noah asked him to do, even if it was cleaning the toilets which Noah knew would affect the werewolf’s nose in a horrible way, Derek had done it without complaint. Noah had only abused his position of power a few times since Derek’s employment, he hadn’t felt good about it after the first two times, because, yes, Derek had hurt his son, but, his heart had been in the right place, he was trying to protect Stiles, and Noah found that he couldn’t hold a grudge against the man, not when it was so blatantly obvious to him that Derek would do pretty much anything for Stiles, including cleaning the toilets so he could keep close to Noah and ensure that Stiles was safe. 

Noah found that he actually enjoyed Derek’s company, when he got past the grumpy exterior, he found Derek was smart, he was a fast thinker and he always had a smart retort ready for any sarcastic comment made in his direction, even if he didn’t always say them. He was kind, he had a big heart, happy to do anything that made people’s lives easier including going to the paper shop every morning before his shift and dropping the latest news off at Ms Robert’s house across the road because the walk was getting to be too much for her. Noah was slowly coming around to the idea that Derek was a good man, a man who had done something idiotic, for what he believed to be the right reasons, but, still, a good man, a man Noah may even be proud to call his son-in-law at some point in the future, if Stiles could be convinced to forgive him. Maybe Stiles should know, know what Derek had been trying to achieve, at least then he could make his own mind up? He could have all the facts and reach his own decision.

Before Noah got the chance to mention that to Derek though, Jackson called and everything changed again. 

“I didn’t know you had any friends.” Jackson said over the phone when Noah and Derek both arrived at the loft that evening, Derek rolled his eyes in annoyance, knowing the action was lost on Jackson, but still it brought a smile to the others lips and that’s what mattered to him.

“I don’t.” He replied easily and Jackson let out a laugh. 

“Very funny, anyway, it worked.” 

“What worked?” Isaac asked. 

“The council. Sending them was a ballsy move, but, it worked, he won’t be going after Stiles.”

“What council?” Derek asked in confusion. 

“Hang on, THE Council?” Peter said. 

“Yeah, that’s what I said, wait, did you not send them?” Jackson replied. 

“I don’t even know who the council are.” Derek grumbled and Peter sighed in exasperation.

“The council are a group of people in charge of policing the supernatural world. They’re kind of like hunters, if a supernatural being starts causing trouble, threatening to expose our world, then a member of the council is dispatched to deal with it. But, they’re more than hunters, they’re skilled in combat, obviously, but, they are also supernaturally inclined, they aren’t humans, they’re were-creatures, witches, wiccans, chimeras, vampires, you name it and there’s probably at least one of them working for the council.” Peter explained. 

“So, they’re the good guys?” Allison asked uncertainly. 

“To an extent, yes.” Peter confirmed, “But that doesn’t mean they’re friendly. They’re dangerous, trained to kill from a young age, they can spot your weaknesses and take you out in an instant if they deem it necessary. But, still, I’m surprised they’ve got involved in this matter. Hunters burned their headquarters to the ground about fifteen years ago and I heard that they’re still trying to replenish their ranks, they’ve only really been mentioned as significant again in the last year or so. I wouldn’t have expected them to get involved in something so trivial, unless it’s a display of power perhaps? Start small and then they don’t have to prove that they can handle the big things?” He pondered while the others stared at him in shock.

“How come I’ve never heard of them?” Derek quizzed.

“Your mother insisted that none of the pups knew about the council, at least not until they were adults, there was no need to terrify them, and, then, well, they died, and, I don’t believe Laura knew about the council, not that they were in any fit state to help at that point, their numbers were severely depleted in the attack against them, less than a handful of them survived.” 

“But, what we can take from this is that Stiles is safe.” Noah said optimistically, “If the council ordered your Alpha to stay away from him, then there’s no chance he’ll go after him, so, therefore Stiles is safe. I should probably call him and explain.” Noah added. 

“It could make things worse, if the council are interested in Stiles…” Peter began ominously.

“They didn’t say Stiles’ name, just that ‘the nogitsune survivor was under their protection’ so, it’s probably, like you said, just a display of power or something?” Jackson informed them and Derek wasn’t sure what to think, he was relieved that the Alpha wasn’t going to be any trouble, but, Peter could be right, if this council were interested in Stiles it didn’t bode well.

“Why would the council be interested in Stiles?” Isaac pointed out, “I mean, he’s nothing supernatural, he’s just human, okay, he survived the possession, but, that doesn’t mean anything. The council wouldn’t be interested in him, it’ll be a demonstration, like, ‘we heard that you’re after the nogitsune survivor, we’ve travelled all the way to London to tell you it’s not happening, we’re powerful, you’re not, do as you’re told.’ kind of thing.” 

“Isaac’s right. Stiles is human. He’s nothing special.” Scott repeated and Erica snarled at him, “I mean, I meant he’s not supernatural, not that he’s not special, you know that.” Scott backtracked. 

“Noah, I think we should go back to yours, skype Stiles, tell him the threat’s over, leave them to sort out the ins and outs of what everything means.” Erica said decisively, Noah nodded, grabbing his jacket and saying his goodbyes quickly. 

The drive back to the Stilinski household was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts, Noah was relieved that Derek wasn’t going to be following his every movement from now on, he got on with the man, but, god, he needed some privacy at some point. 

“Mica!” Erica grinned widely as soon as the laptop loaded and the skype call connected, her smile falling instantly when she saw bruises on Stiles’ face, “What the fuck happened!?” She exclaimed. 

“Nothing.” Stiles insisted, he’d kind of forgotten about the bruises, if he’d remembered then he would have made an excuse not to take the call, as it was his laptop had been half buried under several books, he’d been trying to finish this assignment and there was research scattered all over his room, he’d answered the call before he’d really thought it through and now he was going to have to deal with the consequences.

“That’s not nothing son, what happened?” Noah insisted. 

“Honestly, it was nothing, just another student had some things to air out, we worked it out in training.” Stiles replied casually, looking around for his pen and snatching at it victoriously once he located it, his eyes drifting back to the page he was looking at in the first place. 

“Stiles, you look like shit. Are you sleeping? Eating?” Erica asked, she’d been going to ask what kind of issues needed airing out but she’d heard Derek’s footsteps approaching and knew they’d need to change the conversation, Noah obviously realised they weren’t alone any more either as he tensed slightly when Erica used Stiles’ name, frowning in annoyance before clearing his throat and continuing as normal. 

“Of course I am. I’d be dead otherwise.” Stiles replied but he sounded distracted, “I’m really sorry but I’ve got to get this finished tonight if I want to keep on top of stuff, can I call you tomorrow instead?” 

“Sure thing kid, we just wanted to tell you that Jackson’s Alpha won’t be coming after you. Some people called ‘the council’ paid him a visit and he’s said he’ll stay away from you.” Noah explained. 

“Huh, that’s weird, I’ll see what I can find out about them.” Stiles said simply. 

“Maybe digging into who they are isn’t a good idea, just, let it be, good things can happen once in a while.” Erica replied and Stiles laughed hollowly.

“Yeah, sure they can. Look, I really do have to go, love you guys.”

“You’re going to come home for spring break, right?” Erica asked just before Stiles could disconnect the call. “I mean, it’s only a couple of weeks away, so, maybe you could come home?” 

“I don’t think so.” Stiles said seriously.

“If this is about Der…”

“It’s not!” Stiles insisted, although neither of them were completely convinced, “I’m just, there’s so much to do, and, I’m struggling to stay on top of it as it is. If I take a week off…”

“I’m not saying don’t work, just, maybe, come home and do it?” Erica whispered, “Everyone misses you.” 

“I miss them too, but, I can’t, okay? There’s too much to do here. I’ve sent you a t-shirt in the post, it should be with you in a few days, hopefully that’ll help? But I’ve really got to go now, I’ll call you in a few days.” Stiles said with a finality before disconnecting the call. Noah and Erica both stared at each other, knowing the other felt just as miserable, wishing Stiles wasn’t on the other side of the country. 

Derek had listened to the conversation feeling guilt rush through him, he knew that Stiles might be telling the truth, that he genuinely was too busy to return home, but, still, the possibility of Stiles not wanting to come home because he was avoiding Derek, it made him feel sick to his stomach, god, he missed him, he missed him so much it physically hurt, but, it was his fault, his choice. He wanted Stiles safe. This was what he wanted. 

He knocked on the front door a few moments after the call had ended so abruptly, feeling nervous and uncertain, he enjoyed working as a deputy, he felt like he was doing something useful for the first time in his life, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to give that up just yet. 

“Derek.” Noah said in greeting when he opened the door, looking weary but not like he was going to punch Derek in the face again, Noah turned back towards the kitchen and Derek followed after him, closing the front door behind him and nodding at greeting in Erica who stared at him moodily before flouncing up the stairs to what had become her bedroom, there was no doubt in Derek’s mind that she blamed him for Stiles’ absence. “What can I do for you?” Noah asked, pouring himself a glass of whiskey and sitting down at the kitchen table, motioning for Derek to take a seat.

“I’d like to keep my job.” Derek blurted out and internally cursed himself, that didn’t come out nearly at smoothly as he hoped and Noah was staring at him in bemusement. 

“And you’re telling me this because…?” Noah asked.

“Because, you hired me so I was doing something useful while I was watching you, but, now Jackson’s Alpha isn’t a threat, I don’t need to keep such a close watch on you, I don’t need to be a deputy, but, I want to be. I want to stay working for you. If that’s okay?” Derek explained, Noah stared at him in surprise for a moment before shaking his head in amusement.

“You honestly think I’m going to let you leave? Derek, believe it or not, you’re a damn good deputy, we’ve solved more cases in the past three weeks with you on the case than in the past year. Now, obviously, some of those cases have a supernatural element and obviously we have to fudge facts slightly to close the files, but, we’re helping people. We’re finally making a difference and I’ll be damned if I’m letting you quit anytime in the near future. No, the way I see it you’re going to be working for me until I’m old enough to retire and Stiles buys me a cottage by the beach.” Noah teased and Derek chuckled slightly before his eyes caught on the picture of Stiles and Noah in the background of the laptop, seeing him felt like a punch to the gut, Stiles’ wide grin, Noah laughing brightly, an arm slung around his son’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry he’s not coming home for spring break…” Derek began.

“Not your fault.” Noah insisted and Derek heard the truth in his words, Noah truly believed it wasn’t Derek’s fault, “Look, I know that you blame yourself for him leaving, and, maybe you had something to do with it, I won’t deny that. But, what he’s doing, there’s a lot of work involved. I told him not to take so many classes at once, that he needs downtime too, but, you know what Stiles is like, determined to do everything at a hundred miles an hour, desperate to show that he can do everything just as well as everyone else. He’s working. He’s busy. He has a lot of coursework to do. That is not a reflection on you. I genuinely believe he would come back if he wasn’t so busy, so, please, please don’t blame yourself.” 

“Okay.” Derek mumbled feeling idiotic, he wasn’t aware that it was so obvious he was blaming himself for Stiles’ absence. 

“Good, I’ll see you bright and early in the morning then?” Noah asked and Derek nodded, glad that at least he still had his position as a deputy, before turning and leaving to head home. 

When a box arrived for Erica a few days later she was so excited, she could already smell Stiles’ scent and she practically tore the packaging open, shoving her nose into the dirty shirt with excitement while Noah stared at her with bemusement, laughing fondly when Erica wore the shirt for the next two days solid and the pack all gathered around her, trying to get as close as possible to Stiles’ scent, Noah thought it was kind of adorable and he sent Stiles a picture of the sleeping Erica, sprawled out on the living room floor, wearing Stiles’ shirt, the pack lying all over her, the only consistency that they all had their noses pressed somewhere against Stiles’ shirt. Stiles replied with several exclamation marks and a text saying he’d send one more regularly, if he noticed that Derek was buried underneath the pack, closest to Stiles’ scent, everyone else climbing on top of him once he’d asserted that as Alpha he got to choose where to sleep, then Stiles never mentioned it.

Derek secretly hoped that Stiles would come home over spring break and surprise them all but he never showed up, Scott called him one evening when they were gathered at the loft and Stiles sounded happy, if a little pressured with work, only speaking to them all for a few minutes before insisting he had to get back to his college work.

He knew that Erica and Noah had been texting Stiles, sending him photos of the pack and telling him how much he was missed, Derek made sure to never be in the photographs, not wanting to make Stiles feel even more awkward about coming home, it made him think of the photograph he had on his phone, the one of Stiles sleeping peacefully in Derek’s bed, before Derek said those awful things to him and upset Stiles and forced him to leave town. 

When the loft was quiet one night he uploaded the photo onto his laptop, opened a word document and began to write, telling Stiles how much he loved him, how sorry he was, that he hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but it had been necessary in order to keep him safe, to keep him away from Derek. He wrote a few pages before he stopped, feeling like an idiot, it wasn’t like he was actually going to send it to Stiles, he didn’t know his address for a start, and, even if he did, Stiles probably wouldn’t want to hear from him. He saved it and the picture to a folder on his desktop and then opened up a new document, this time telling Stiles about everything that had been happening with them, about what Jackson had told them, about his new job as a deputy, about how much he respected Noah and how he was learning a lot. 

It became a habit for Derek, at least a few times a week he’d write a note to Stiles that he had no intention of ever giving to him, but he’d tell him about what had been going on in their lives, how much everyone missed him, how much Derek missed him, what dangers they’d faced that week, and other more trivial things, about the fact that Isaac and Cora were now dating, how Erica was living permanently with Noah, not that he had any doubt in his mind that Stiles didn’t already knew that, that Peter had submitted plans to build a new house on the same land as the old Hale house, how Lydia and Jackson had made up and were seriously thinking about trying to start a relationship again. 

Summer break came and went and Stiles still didn’t come home, telling them once again that he was busy, that he had too much on, that he couldn’t afford to take a break at the moment, Derek wanted to call him, tell him that he had been an idiot, that he wanted Stiles to come home and give him a chance to fix things, but, he knew he couldn’t be that selfish. He’d pushed Stiles away for a reason, those reasons hadn’t changed. 

The pack entered their senior year and Derek was so proud of how far they’d come, Stiles’ calls weren’t the only thing that brought them all together, they were actually friends now, family almost, and Derek felt good. He had a job that made him happy, he had a home that had been rebuilt and was beginning to feel like a real home, Cora, Isaac, Boyd, Peter and Malia all living with him there, Erica splitting her time between the pack house and Noah’s, never happy with leaving him there alone too long and Noah always insisting that he was fine. Everyone else stayed too, usually on Friday and Saturday nights and occasionally a night or two in the week if there was a new threat, Derek kind of liked those nights, but, it was obvious when the pack was crowded in just how much Stiles not being here impacted on them. 

Erica sometimes skyped with him when she was in the kitchen, always inviting him to stay on the line and watch a film with them, Stiles had refused several times, explaining it was pack time and he didn’t want to intrude, Erica had glared at Derek, desperate to tell Stiles that he was pack and he was welcome to be there, but, Derek refused to allow her to tell that secret. Stiles was happy. He was safe. He wasn’t going to ruin that by dragging him back into all of this. 

Derek always avoided being seen by Stiles, not sure if Stiles would feel awkward knowing Derek was there, so he always stayed out of eyesight when they skyped and stayed silent when he called, Derek was desperate to see him, to see what changes Stiles had gone through since the morning that he had been sleeping in Derek’s bed, but, he denied himself that pleasure, knowing Stiles didn’t want to see him. It was why he had stayed away, why he’d be gone nearly a year already and still showed no signs of returning home for winter break either, no matter what anybody else said, Derek knew the truth, Stiles was not coming back because of him. 

Almost eighteen months had passed since Stiles left, the majority of the pack were almost ready to graduate, Derek foolishly hoped Stiles would return for their graduation, but he didn’t. Erica had told them that Stiles was going to be out of touch for a few days, maybe a week, as he was doing some important tests and couldn’t be disturbed so he was turning off his phone and laptop, still, Erica looked agitated and it unsettled Derek, he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to rest until he knew Stiles was okay. 

Erica and Noah stood in the kitchen, their eyes darting to the laptop screen every few seconds, it was two weeks since Stiles had called, two weeks since he was supposed to be going on a routine mission, two weeks since he promised to call the moment he returned. Noah knew that logically, if anything bad had happened, Stiles’ mentor would have called and told him, but, still, waiting here was not helping him, he was going out of his mind with worry. 

“Finally!” Erica cried in relief when the call from Stiles popped up on the screen two days later, dashing across the kitchen and nearly knocking Noah over in her haste to get to the screen, “Mica! Where the hell have you been!?” Erica was scolding him before the screen had even loaded and Noah rolled his eyes at her overprotectiveness, it was kind of adorable how much she cared about Stiles. “Oh god.” Erica muttered, a hand covering her mouth and tears filling her eyes as she took in Stiles’ battered appearance.

“I thought it was supposed to be routine.” Noah whispered horrified while Stiles gave them a wide smile that made the bruises across his face look even worse. 

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Stiles said simply.

“Fine!? Do you even know the meaning of the word!? Jesus Christ Mica! It looks like someone beat you almost to death!” Erica shouted and Stiles shrugged.

“Almost, but, not all the way and that’s important.” Stiles replied. 

“What the hell happened? Where were the others? Is everyone okay?” 

“Yeah, everyone’s fine. It wasn’t a real mission, they faked it, then faked it going wrong, made us believe we’d been captured by the enemy.” Stiles explained while both Noah and Erica stared at him in disbelief, “It was a lesson, you know, how to survive under duress.” 

“You don’t look like you survived. You look like they tried to kill you.” Noah mumbled and Stiles shrugged. 

“So, what? They beat you up until you cave and spill the beans on whatever they want to know and then they let you go and tell you it’s all part of their training?” Erica said and Stiles nodded.

“I mean, that’s how it was supposed to go.” Stiles agreed and Erica rolled her eyes.

“Let me take a wild guess here, did you mess it up?” She said sarcastically.

“That depends on how you define ‘mess it up’.” Stiles grinned.

“I define it as getting your ass handed to you and then spending the next three weeks looking like someone tried to kill you.” Erica replied. 

“Well, then you would be wrong.” Stiles teased, “I happened to not only avoid giving them anything they wanted to know, but, I also happened to free myself and the only reason I didn’t escape was because they told me it was all a training exercise to stop me when I’d already taken down three of them.” Stiles smiled proudly. 

“Are you shitting me?!” Erica laughed and Stiles shook his head, “So, what does that mean? Did they fail you? Pass you? What?” 

“It means, I came top of the class.” Stiles explained and both Noah and Erica let out cries of relief, hugging each other for a second and then turning back to the screen.

“That’s fantastic Mica!” Noah grinned widely, “I’m so proud of you! You’ve done so much, you’ve come so far. So, what happens next? Any more exams to sit before they let you graduate? We could fly out and watch the ceremony, do they allow that kind of thing? Oh, god, I’m so proud of you. You’re, honestly, I’m so incredibly proud of you son.” Noah exclaimed, looking to be on the verge of tears. 

“Thanks dad.” Stiles smiled, “But, um, graduation already happened. They kind of told me on the way back to campus, they wanted to keep it under wraps, you know, with the fact I’ve progressed so quickly, a lot of the other students have been here a lot longer and they haven’t graduated yet. They didn’t want to cause any unnecessary friction.” 

“Oh.” Noah said, deflating slightly that he didn’t get to see his son’s graduation, before realising that Stiles had graduated, he was done, “So, you’re coming home then? When?”

“Um,” Stiles said, looking nervous and biting his bottom lip slightly, “I’m not.”

“What!?” Erica and Noah both exclaimed in unison.

“I thought the whole point of you working your ass off to graduate sooner was so that you could come home sooner?” Erica said feeling like a hole had been punched through her chest. 

“I will do. I swear. But, I have to complete some assignments abroad first.” 

“Abroad? Where abroad?” Noah quizzed and Stiles looked at him a little sadly before replying. 

“Japan first. Depending on how that goes, I don’t know, I guess I’ll see after that.” 

“Japan?” Noah muttered thunderstruck, “But, how are you going… I mean… you’ll have back-up on this ‘assignment’, won’t you?” Noah said, feeling more terrified now than he had for the past two weeks. His son had graduated, which meant they were releasing him out into the big, wide world where anything could happen to him. 

“Yeah, I’m meeting my partner for this assignment in a few days, they want me to recover first, so my injuries don’t make me memorable.” Stiles explained. 

“Okay, sure, I mean, you’ll be careful, I know, you’re an adult, you’re a graduate, you make your own choices and everything, but, you’ll be careful?” 

“I will do dad.” Stiles agreed, “I promise I will. And, I’ll call after each ‘assignment’ let you know I’m safe, if you want?” 

“Yes, please, that would be good.” Noah said, nodding furiously and feeling tears building up in his eyes.

“Dad, I’ve trained for this. I’ll be fine. You know that. You know how hard I’ve worked. I’m capable of this. You know that.” 

“I do. I, just, you’re my son, my little boy, and the idea of you being half way across the world, of you being hurt and I can’t be there at your side to protect you…” 

“I’ll be fine dad. I swear to you, I’ll be fine. Always. But, for now, tell everyone I’m doing a few semesters abroad before I graduate, I don’t need them demanding to know what it is I’m doing. Not yet at least. They’ll think it’s too dangerous.”

“We already think it’s too dangerous.” Erica muttered and Stiles sighed heavily. 

“I know you do. But, this is my choice remember? This is what I wanted to do. And, now, now I can go out there and actually make a difference, no more reading books and training drills, this is me actually going out there and making a real difference to things.” Stiles said confidently and Noah nodded. 

“I know son, we’re behind you, one hundred per cent of the way. Just, be careful and call us when you can.” Noah agreed.

“I will. I’ll call you before I head out, I love you.” 

“We love you too Mica.” Erica replied, blowing a kiss at the screen that Stiles caught, laughing brightly before he ended the call. “He’s going to be fine.” Erica said with gritted teeth, trying to convince herself. 

“He will be.” Noah agreed, looking just as nervous as Erica felt. 

They did as Stiles told them, telling the rest of the pack about Stiles’ semester abroad, that he was learning about laws in different cultures, Lydia looked suspicious but the rest of them seemed to buy it and that was all that mattered. 

Stiles skyped on the day of their graduation, he’d successfully avoided mentioning where he was, Noah held up the laptop so that Stiles could see the rest of the pack graduating, Erica waving like a lunatic and snatching the laptop the second she was close enough and waving her diploma in Stiles’ face. 

“Do you see it!? Do you!?” Erica beamed. 

“I do!” Stiles replied excitedly, practically bouncing in his seat. “I see it! I’m so proud of you Catwoman! You did amazing!” 

“Damn right I did.” She said proudly, pulling Boyd into a hug so that he could see Stiles on the screen. 

“Hey Boyd! Congratulations!” Stiles greeted. 

“Thanks man! I can’t believe we’ve all survived long enough to graduate high school.” Boyd said quietly and Stiles laughed brightly. 

“Yeah well it was about time we had some good luck.” He grinned. Eventually the entire pack had come and shown their diplomas to Stiles who smiled happily at each one and tried to pretend that his heart wasn’t breaking at the fact that he was missing this, that he couldn’t pull Erica into a hug that he couldn’t whisper in Scott’s ear how proud he was of him. 

“So where abouts are you? Your dad has been really vague?” Scott asked and Stiles smiled.

“At the moment, we’re in Germany.” Stiles admitted.

“We?” Scott queried.

“Yeah, oh, dude, I didn’t tell you. You’ll never guess who I bumped into, well, not really bumped into, we’ve kind of got partnered up for this assignment, because he’s doing a semester abroad too, so weird, but, anyway, do you remember Theo? Theo Raeken? He was in our fourth-grade class and he left when his sister died?” 

“Erm, yeah, vaguely.” Scott admitted, Stiles always had a better memory for these things than he did. “Why? He’s there with you?”

“Well, not right now, he went out to some bar, wanted to give me some privacy to call you guys.” Stiles explained and Derek tried not to let his jealousy flare over the thought of Stiles spending time with this Theo guy, judging by the look Scott sent in his direction, he failed miserably. 

“Oh, okay, well, that’s kind of cool. I don’t really remember him if I’m honest.” Scott admitted, “But, it’s awesome that you bumped into him, so, is he doing the same course as you? If you’ve partnered up for this project?” 

“Kind of.” Stiles replied, “Our courses share some of the same aspects so being partners for this one project made sense.” 

“So what are you doing? Is it a big project? How long have you got left in this semester before you’re back in the states?” Scott queried.

“Enough about me dude, you’ve just graduated! That’s so freaking awesome! What are you going to do now? Party tonight? I bet there’s some kind of school after graduation party going on!?” Stiles replied, distracting Scott easily.

“Yeah, Lydia has organised one, pretty much the entire school is going to be there from the sounds of things, it’s a shame you can’t be here, everyone misses you.” Scott said. 

“I wish I could be Scotty, you know I’d be there if I could, but, it’ll be awesome anyway, in fact, you’ll have so much fun you won’t even notice I’m not there…” Stiles said, trailing off slightly when there was a bang from out of sight, “Scotty, I’m really sorry, but, I’ve got to go, I’ll call you soon.” Stiles said, ending the call before Scott could even say bye. 

It was a week before they heard from Stiles again, Derek had gone over to the Stilinski household to run through some of the open cases they had at the moment, he was sitting on one of the stools in the kitchen when Noah’s phone started ringing and the man’s whole face lit up before he answered it.

“Stiles! How’s things?” Noah smiled.

“Good, yeah, fine. How’s things at home?” 

“Fine, Derek and I are just going over some case files, nothing too important, just old cases we wanted to look at solving.” 

“Don’t tell me the town is that quiet that you’re searching for trouble?” Stiles teased and Derek rolled his eyes in silence. 

“I wish.” Noah replied, “Nope, at the weekend we had to deal with a black dog.” Noah said proudly.

“A black dog? The death omen?” Stiles said sounding surprised, “Who died? Are you all okay?” 

“We’re all fine Stiles, Malia and Cora kept it occupied while Deaton threw some kind of powder at it and cast a banishment spell, it’s gone anyway, that’s what’s important.” 

“So long as you’re okay?” 

“I’m fine Stiles. Anyway, how’s the studying going? Are you and Theo nearly done with your project?” 

“Oh yeah, we finished it yesterday. I’m starting a new project today, my partner is Steph this time, oh, hang on, she wants to talk to you.” Stiles replied before there was the sound of the phone being handed over and a woman’s phone came down the line.

“Sheriff Stilinski sir, pleasure to speak to you.”

“And you too, Steph?” 

“Yes sir.”

“Okay, Steph, you’re keeping an eye on him? Making sure he doesn’t work too hard? Goes out and has fun once in a while?” 

“Are you kidding me!?” Steph laughed, “The child prodigy keeps me highly entertained. A few hours together and I’m having the time of my life, literally, the most fun I’ve ever had, including times when I’ve not had any clothes on, he’s already keeping me on my toes, I can’t wait to get him back to our room and see what else he’s capable of.” 

“Steph!” Stiles laughed sounding scandalised and snatching the phone back. “Ignore her dad! She’s just trying to wind you up.”

“She sounds interesting.” Noah said delicately, ignoring the look of grief that was on Derek’s face, he liked Derek, honestly, truly, he thought he was a good man, but, he’d made his choice, he’d rejected Stiles, he’d pushed him away and refused to allow anyone to tell Stiles that he was actually pack. If Stiles was moving on, finding enjoyment with other people, Noah would support that and Derek would just have to deal with it, even if he hated seeing the man he’d come to think of as a friend looking upset.

“I’ve got to get going dad, I just thought I’d call and check in, I’ll give you a call in a few days.” 

“Sure thing kiddo, be safe.” 

“You too. Love you.” 

“Love you too.” Noah replied before hanging up the phone and returning to the cases that they’d been reviewing before Stiles called. 

After that Steph and Theo became regular mentions in Stiles’ calls, Derek wasn’t sure which of them he was more jealous of, Steph seemed to blatantly flirt with Stiles, laughing and joking with him on every call, but, Derek didn’t think Stiles was interested in her, he teased her right back, telling her she was old enough to be his mom and didn’t she have better people to be doing than interrupting his phone call. Theo never spoke when Stiles called, if they got partnered up, which didn’t happen that often, thankfully, but, when they were working on a project together, Theo was like a lurking presence in the background, Derek may have decided to run a background on him, just to check he wasn’t a danger to Stiles, and, may have decided that the guy was definitely attractive, and, from what he heard, Stiles and Theo spent a lot of time together, cooped up in small rooms, working on their projects. Derek could clearly imagine the way that Theo would make the first move, how Stiles would respond eagerly, and he hated it, except, what did he expect to happen? He couldn’t have expected Stiles to stay single forever, right? 

Derek rejected him. Stiles was moving on. This was the best thing for Stiles. Safety away from all the dangers that Derek brought. 

The pack were well into their first year at college when a golem started attacking the town. Everyone had decided to go to college either in town or the surrounding areas where they could easily return home in the evenings. Almost everyone stayed at the pack house now, Erica insisting that she still wanted to see Noah at least a few nights a week as he’d become like a second father to her in the past few years, Derek agreed and at least three nights a week the whole pack would go over to the Stilinski household, have dinner, watch a film, chat about their days, basically ensure that Noah was happy and looking after himself. The other night’s Noah would end up at the Hale house, arriving late from a shift and greeting them all like family, a pat on the back or shoulder, a brief hug, a laugh or joke, helping himself to whatever food was in the fridge and making himself at home.

Derek had thought several times about asking Noah to move in with them, he spent all his free time with them anyway, so, what was the point in him staying at home by himself? Plus, Derek worried about him being alone, especially when he was so involved in the pack, it made him a target. But, he couldn’t ever bring himself to ask. He kept imagining Stiles deciding to come home, finding that he had no home to come back to, that his dad was living with the pack, and Stiles deciding to leave again before he’d even seen everyone. 

No, letting Noah keep his own space was a good thing, he was a grown man, he knew how to look after himself and he wanted to stay in his own home, Derek could understand that feeling. Scott was studying as an apprentice with Deaton and had decided to move into the Hale house with Allison, Derek knew that Melissa and Noah spent a lot of time together when they weren’t both with the pack or working and he wondered if there was something happening between the two of them, he didn’t want to pry, didn’t want to make either of them uncomfortable, especially if they hadn’t decided to tell their sons yet. 

Killing the golem was a long task, Lydia, Cora, Boyd and Isaac were the ones to spot it when they were returning from college one evening, Isaac howling to quickly alert the rest of the pack that there was an issue while Cora and Boyd ran after it and Lydia did her best to figure out what the hell it was from the glimpse she’d gotten. 

Erica had just finished for the day at the mechanics where she was doing her apprenticeship when she heard the howl, she’d dashed off in the right direction hoping to meet the rest of the pack along the way. Allison and Malia were finished college for the day and had been picking up some pizzas with Peter when the howl was heard, they swung by the vets, grabbing Scott, and then headed off after everyone else. Derek and Noah were thankfully in one of the patrol cars when Derek spun around and drove like a lunatic to meet up with the rest of his pack, it took them ten minutes but they were all parked up along the side of the preserve where the golem has vanished, Boyd and Cora coming back out to tell them that they’d lost it when it had jumped a river.

They were debating what to do when Erica’s phone rang and she looked slightly apologetic at the interruption before answering it anyway.

“Stiles?” 

“Erica.” Stiles muttered, he sounded awful, like he’d been crying, like he was barely holding it together, like he was in pain and hurting and Derek wanted to go to him, everyone else stilling as they heard the pain in Stiles’ voice. 

“Stiles? What’s happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Erica asked sounding panicked.

“I’m fine. I’m okay.” Stiles reassured her.

“What’s happened? You’re crying. Something’s wrong.” Erica insisted. 

“I’m sorry, I just, I shouldn’t bother you, but, god, I just, I needed to hear your voice…” Stiles sobbed and Erica looked like she was ready to tear someone apart just to get to Stiles.

“Hey, batman, listen to me, I’m fine, you’re fine, everyone’s fine, you’re safe, whatever’s going on, just, just tell me, okay? I’m right here, I’m here Stiles.” 

“Steph, she, um, god, I should have, I can’t, I didn’t, god.” Stiles sobbed. 

“Steph? What happened? Is she okay?” Erica asked and Stiles let out another sob.

“No. No, she’s not. She’s, god, Rica, she’s dead.” Stiles admitted, sounding grief-stricken and nobody dared breathe for a moment as they tried to process that. 

“What happened Stiles? Was it something…” Erica began

“No, no, car accident.” He replied, it didn’t seem to ease any of the tension in Erica though. 

“Stiles, were you there? Were you hurt?” Erica pressed.

“Yeah, yeah I was there. I can’t, I can’t talk about it right now, but, I’m okay, honestly, I’m fine. I just, I needed to hear your voice, and, probably dad’s too, but, I thought he might freak out, you were the calmer choice.” Stiles said, trying to make a joke that fell flat when he let out another sob. 

“I’m the calmer choice!? Seriously!? What planet do you live on Stilinski!?” Erica scolded, “Tell me where you are, I’ll fly out to you, your dad and I will both be there, first thing in the morning.” 

“No, no, don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Honestly. I just, it caught me by surprise, but, I’m fine.”

“It’s okay for you to not be fine Stiles.” Noah said, snatching the phone from Erica and Stiles let out another hiccup of a sob, sniffling slightly.

“I know. I know that. But, I am.” Stiles said, attempting to sound like he hadn’t just been crying his heart out. “Just, shock, you know? It’ll do strange things to a person.”

“I know son, look, let us come out to you, we can be there in the morning, we can get through this together.” 

“No, it’s fine. Besides, I still need to finish this project with Theo and then I’m done here.” Stiles said.

“And you’ll be coming home?” Noah asked, already knowing the answer.

“No, they’ve given me the option of another semester in Saudi Arabia, I’m heading there for a few months.” Stiles replied quietly and Noah nodded.

“Of course kiddo, if that’s what you want to do.” Noah said calmly, “Look, now isn’t a good time to talk, you try and get some sleep and I’ll call you in the morning, we can talk through this together. Sound good?”

“Yeah dad.” 

“Alright, love you kid, be safe.”

“You too.” Stiles replied before he ended the call. 

The golem was easily taken care of, once Lydia had discovered what it was, Erica had played on her phone for an hour or so and then explained that it would have the word “emeth” on its forehead, to kill it, they just had to rub out the “e” leaving the word “meth” which would cause the golem to crumble to dust. Derek thought it sounded too easy to be true and he was right, rubbing out the letter was simple, getting close enough to do it without being torn apart was not. 

They all suffered multiple injuries before Boyd leaped forwards, wrapping strong arms around the golem’s neck and holding it in place long enough for Erica to leap onto his shoulders and grab the golem’s head, rubbing the letter off, all of them staring in amazement as it stilled instantly and then crumbled to dust. 

“I can’t believe that worked.” Erica muttered stunned, pulling out her phone, Derek thought she was sending a text but he wasn’t sure and he wasn’t going to pry, he was still trying to deal with healing his ribs and spine from where he’d been thrown backwards into a tree.


	4. Chapter 4

Derek knew he couldn’t deny his jealously when he heard that Theo was in Saudi Arabia with Stiles, apparently, they were working on several projects together, it seemed to Derek that Steph’s death had hit Stiles hard, and, Theo and Stiles had been drawn closer together by their loss. He expected to hear that they were officially a couple any time, but, it never happened, he wondered vaguely if maybe Stiles had told Erica and Noah privately and they’d decided to make sure Derek never found out, in some weird attempt to protect him, it didn’t matter anyway, Derek knew the truth, Stiles had moved on, he was happy, that was what Derek had wanted all along, this was good, it was.

Stiles had been gone nearly three years when the witch had attacked. Derek hadn’t even known she was there, he had been out for a run in the preserve, trying to clear his head slightly when he’d been shoved to the floor by an invisible force and something had hit him squarely in the chest. He’d howled in pain as something tore through him and blackness filled his vision, he was certain he was dying, certain that he would never see the pack again and that he’d never get to see Stiles again, his last thought was the image of Stiles sleeping peacefully in Derek’s bed, his eyes fluttering open slowly and a soft smile on his lips, his voice whispering gently that he loved Derek. 

Derek came back to himself slowly, he was aware something was wrong, there was a dull throb of pain in his chest but, more than that, everything was wrong. It took him a few minutes to realise it was because he wasn’t human any longer, instead, he was a dark wolf with glowing red eyes, he didn’t have time to process the fact that he’d somehow achieved a full shift, all he could think was that something was seriously wrong with him, the pain in his chest was growing by the second and he needed help. 

He managed to stagger out of the preserve, arriving at the Hale house, barely making it to the front steps before his legs gave out. The pack had rushed out, obviously aware that something had happened to their Alpha but not sure what, Deaton had been the one to explain that the aura surrounding Derek suggested it had been some kind of magic spell, Isaac was the one that muttered about it smelling like Derek was dying. 

Deaton tried valiantly to reverse the effects of the curse but he was having no luck and with each passing minute Derek felt weaker, he knew what Isaac had said was true, he was dying, he could smell it, he could feel it. Whatever this witch had done to him, it was killing him and there was nothing any of them could do about it. He was going to die.

“Fuck this.” Erica muttered after the next attempt of Deaton’s had failed, she pulled out her phone and dialled, “Stiles, I need to know how to break a curse.”

“A curse?” Stiles yelled in confusion, he sounded like he was in a bar somewhere, with loud music blasting in the background and Stiles was struggling to hear Erica, “Hang on!” He shouted again before a door opened and closed and the music dulled, “Sorry, did you say a curse?” 

“Yeah, some witch has cursed Derek, he’s shifted into a wolf, but, he’s dying Stiles, we can all smell it. It’s killing him and we don’t know how much time he has left. Do you know any random crap about how to break curses?” Erica explained sounding terrified. 

“I’ll look into it. Has Deaton come up with anything?” 

“No. He’s tried a few things, but, none of them have had any effect. Apparently, because he doesn’t know what the curse was supposed to do, he doesn’t know how to reverse it.” 

“The witch would be able to reverse it.” Stiles said, it sounded like he was running, running back to his dorm maybe, planning to get to his laptop and research anything he could find on curses and how to break them. Derek knew it was hopeless, there were way too many variables, he was going to die and he would never be able to tell Stiles how sorry he was, how much he loved him and how he wished he would come home. “I’ll see what I can find out, tell Derek to hang in there.” Stiles said before hanging up the phone. 

Derek whined unhappily, he didn’t know what else to do, he didn’t know how to shift back, the pain was getting worse by the minute and he missed Stiles, he wanted to see him before he died, he wanted to talk to him, wanted to hear Stiles laugh and call him a sourwolf, god, he missed him so fucking much and now Derek was going to die and he’d never get to make up for all the stupid crap he put Stiles through, it was all his fault. 

Stiles didn’t call back, not straight away. Instead, half an hour later, when Derek could barely keep his eyes open and every breath felt like a struggle, there was a timid knock on the door. Boyd strode forwards, he was second in command and it was his job to protect the pack when their Alpha couldn’t, the entire pack was here which meant whoever was knocking on the door could be a potential threat. 

“I came to heal your Alpha.” A woman said sounding equal parts terrified and pained. 

“And you would be?” Boyd queried. 

“The witch that cast the curse on him.” She admitted and Boyd growled, his eyes flashing golden. “Look, you think I would be here if I had any choice in the matter? If it was up to me I’d be on my way out of town already, but, I don’t.” 

“What do you mean?” Isaac asked, coming up behind Boyd, standing protectively in front of Derek. 

“I mean, I come here and take my curse off your Alpha and I get to live, or I don’t and I have my spleen torn out as the warm up act.” She snapped, “So, let me do it already before he dies.” She said and Boyd turned to look at Derek uncertainly, as if unsure if he should be allowing the witch into their den. Derek used every ounce of strength he had left and pushed forwards, butting his head into her outstretched hand, listening as she muttered a few quiet words in a language he didn’t know before all the pain he’d been feeling left him in an instant. 

“Is it done?” Noah asked when the witch straightened up and turned to leave, “He’ll live?” 

“He’ll live. Not that I think he should, stupid mutts thinking you can claim the territory just because you live here. If I had my way I would have killed all of you.” 

“But you didn’t.” Erica replied, smirking at her ferally, “Because there’s someone out there who is a hell of a lot more powerful than you, that you know would track you down and slaughter you slowly if you disobey them, so, why don’t you hurry along and get the fuck out of our town before we decide to kill you regardless.” 

The witch scowled at her, looking like she would happily gut Erica where she stood, before she suddenly paled and nodded, beating a hasty retreat. Derek stayed as his wolf a little longer, now that he was no longer in pain, it was such a rush to have managed a full shift, he spent a little bit of time examining how it felt, how the floor felt under his paws, how his hearing seemed even better than it had been before, his senses were even more enhanced and it was pretty amazing. 

Stiles rang an hour later, he sounded exhausted, like he was on the verge of sleep and his voice was muffled like he was lying in bed. 

“Rica? Der okay?” Stiles mumbled and Erica nodded with tears in her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, he’s fine. Weirdest thing, the witch turned up and took the curse off him, he’s fine, still a wolf, but, he smells fine, I think he’ll shift back when he calms down a bit.” Erica explained. 

“Good.” Stiles whispered sounding exhausted.

“Stiles, come on, let’s go back to sleep.” Theo said from nearby, he was close to Stiles, too close, his voice was as clear as Stiles’ was down the phone, Derek felt grief and jealously run through his body, Stiles was in bed with Theo, they were obviously dating. 

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Erica said and Stiles grunted in reply before the call ended abruptly. 

“Good to know he was really worried about Derek.” Cora muttered sarcastically and Erica and Noah both glared at her. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Noah snapped.

“Yeah I do.” Cora argued, “You tell Stiles that Derek is dying and he says he’ll research and instead he crawls into bed with Theo. Sure sounds like he was doing a shit tonne of research, or am I the only one that thinks that?” She replied aggressively.

“Cora.” Derek scolded, shifting back into a human in order to prevent a full-blown argument between the pack, which he could see this easily devolving into. “Enough.” 

“God dammit Derek!” She cursed angrily, “You’re blind! He’s moving on with his life! He doesn’t love you! He doesn’t care about you! And you act like it’s fine for him to treat you like you’re an afterthought when you could have died!” 

“I’m not blind Cora.” Derek replied calmly, “I know Stiles doesn’t care for me. That’s my fault, not his, so don’t blame him for moving on with his life. I made him hate me. Not the other way around. Don’t be mad at him for putting himself first.” Cora looked ready to scream the place down, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists before she deflated and looked at him in defeat.

“I’m not mad at him Der. I just, you’re my big brother and you’re hurting and I want you happy.” Cora explained, pulling him into a hug. 

“I am happy. I’ve got my pack, that’s what matters.” Derek reassured her. 

Since the evening with the witch, Derek hadn’t been able to get Stiles out of his thoughts, the sound of his voice, heavy with sleep, Theo’s voice in his ear, he wondered if Noah wanted to meet his son’s boyfriend, wondered how much it was tearing the older man up that Stiles wouldn’t come home because of Derek being here. He decided that enough was enough, Stiles had to come home, which meant that Derek had to talk to him, explain to him that it wasn’t right for Stiles not to be able to come home, that there were no hard feelings or whatever. 

He broached the subject with Noah one evening about three weeks after the witch had fled town, they were all at the Hale house, sitting comfortably with a film playing in the background. 

“Stiles will be due to graduate soon, won’t he?” Derek asked Noah and everyone in the room seemed to still.

“Mmm.” Noah replied noncommittally. 

“I mean, it’s a three-year course, right? And, he’s been gone nearly three years? So, shouldn’t he be nearly graduating?”

“Nu-huh.” Noah nodded and Derek stared at him in puzzlement. 

“Was that a yes?” He asked and Noah grunted, his eyes meeting Erica’s in panic. 

“I think, what Noah was trying to say is that, yeah, by that logic, yeah, Stiles should be graduating soon, why? Were you interested for a particular reason?” Erica jumped in and Derek stared at her, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion. 

“I just thought, we could maybe, make a trip of it, all of us.” Derek said meaningfully and Erica’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“You mean, we can tell him he’s still pack!?” She asked excitedly already pulling out her phone ready to call Stiles. 

“Maybe not over the phone, I figure it’s probably something I should say in person, you know, explain why I said it in the first place.” 

“Sure, sure.” Erica said dismissively, putting the phone to her ear, “Stiles? Hey, are you free?” 

“Now’s not really a good time Rica,” Stiles replied loudly, shouting over music in the background, struggling to make himself heard. 

“Sure, but, it’s like, super important, like, life and death super important, so, are you sure you’re not free?”

“Is someone about to die? Did Lydia sense something?” Stiles asked and Erica rolled her eyes.

“No, of course not, hey, where abouts are you? It sounds loud. I thought you said you were taking it easy while you got over that um, bug, that you had?”

“I’m in a club.” Stiles replied sounding tense.

“An Irish one? I hear lots of Irish music?” Erica queried.

“Most clubs in Ireland tend to play Irish music surprisingly enough.” Stiles retorted sarcastically.

“What are you doing in Ireland? You were supposed to be in Spain for another few weeks yet?” 

“I thought he was in Saudi Arabia?” Peter muttered and Erica shrugged. 

“Rica, look, I get this is important, but, unless somebody is literally about to die, I’m honestly in the middle of something right now…” Stiles began.

“Here, here, I got you a drink. You’re fucking gorgeous.” A man shouted down the line, his words slurring slightly, he was obviously drunk and Erica rolled her eyes.

“In the middle of something, hmm?” She asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I am.” Stiles said distractedly, “What the fuck?” He muttered, barely loud enough for those with supernatural hearing to make out before there was something that sounded like a cannon going off and people started screaming down the phone.

“Got to go.” Stiles said, “Stiles! Stiles! What the fuck was that!?” Erica shouted down the phone at the same time, not realising for a moment that Stiles had already hung up on her. Erica huffed out an exasperated sigh, calling him back instantly and growling when the phone went through to voicemail.

“Stiles, I swear to god, call me back as soon as you get this message or I’m going to fly out to Ireland and kick your fucking ass.” She snarled, almost putting her claws through her phone in her agitation. 

“We should fly out anyway.” Scott said, “I mean, that sounded like a bomb, didn’t it? Did any of you think that too? Or was it just me?” 

“It sounded like a bomb, yeah.” Lydia nodded in agreement, “But, I guess that’s one of the hazards in Stiles’ line of work.” 

“Line of work?” Malia said, “What? What are you talking about?” She said while both Erica’s and Noah’s hearts started to race. 

“Stiles works for the CIA obviously.” Lydia said, there was a moment of stunned silence before everyone burst into laughter.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Scott laughed. 

“I’m not. Originally, I thought FBI because I’m almost certain he was based in Virginia, three hours ahead of us, and, they have headquarters in Virginia, their entry level courses are around eighteen months and then they’re put on desk duty.” Lydia explained.

“What changed your mind?” Peter queried and Lydia smirked, staring straight at Erica and Noah.

“You two were really nervous about eighteen months ago, the two weeks where Stiles was out on contact because of ‘really important exams’, since then you’ve not mentioned any exams, just projects and assignments, Stiles went on a semester abroad, except he was never staying in one place very long. You avoided Derek’s question about graduation because he already graduated, after those ‘really important exams’. Stiles said himself the college campus was really secure when we were worried about Jackson’s Alpha going after him, it would have to be if it was a government office. He hasn’t been working on projects, he’s been gathering intel on other countries, he works for the CIA. That’s what they do. Not to mention the fact when Steph was killed he didn’t want you coming out to him because it was dangerous. He was in hostile territory. It makes sense that he didn’t want you there. Because he’s a spy.” Lydia said with a glint in her eye, daring anyone to disagree with her.

“That is, that’s the most ridiculous…” Noah spluttered and everyone turned to look at him incredulously, “I mean, that’s, no, you’re, um, Erica?” 

“What the fuck!? You’re telling us Stiles is a fucking spy!?” Cora erupted and Derek felt all the colour drain from his face, he’d thought Stiles had been safe, all this time, he’d thought he was at college, enjoying life, spreading his wings, and, really, really Stiles had been working for the CIA? That was, that was beyond belief, it didn’t make sense, it couldn’t be true, except, Noah couldn’t deny it, if he did it would be obvious to all of them that he was lying, holy fuck, Stiles was working for the CIA. 

“How the hell could you let him do something so dangerous!?” Derek shouted, finally finding his voice, the thought of Stiles in danger making him feel sick to his stomach, what was happening in Ireland right now? Had it been a bomb? God, what if Stiles had been hurt? 

“I didn’t let him do anything!” Noah replied, “He’d already applied and been accepted. He was the one who made the decision to leave and we all know who made him want to do that!” He shouted in reply. 

“I wanted him safe! I wanted him kept away from things that were trying to kill him and you let him go and join the CIA!? If anyone catches him, finds out he’s a spy, they’ll kill him! Why the hell didn’t you stop him? Tell one of us what was going on!?” Derek roared. 

“Stiles won’t get caught. He’s too good.” 

“Right. Steph called him the child prodigy.” Scott recalled, “So, he’s really that good?” 

“Yeah, he is. The people at the top reckon he was born for it.” Erica said and Derek rounded on her. 

“Don’t! Don’t you dare even speak right now! You let me think that Stiles was safe! You know how important that was to me and right now he could be getting shot at or bleeding out somewhere and we can’t get to him in time to help and this is all your fault! You should have told me the instant you found out what he was planning to do!”

“You mean I should have told you the day when I came over to find Stiles with his bags already packed? When I could smell the hurt and grief rolling off him in waves because the man he thought he loved, the man he just lost his virginity to, rejected him? Told him he was nothing special? Told him he wasn’t even part of the pack? I should have come and told you then, should I?” Erica yelled in reply.

“Yes! You should have told me so I could have stopped it! So he didn’t go off and join the fucking CIA! So he didn’t get himself hurt however many thousands of miles away and I can’t help him!” Derek shouted while everyone stared at the two of them in shock, not wanting to get between the two of them when they looked ready to come to blows.

“You’re right. I should have told him to stay in town so YOU could hurt him some more right here instead of letting him go off and travel the world and be happy.” Erica said coldly and Derek looked like he’d been slapped, his mouth hanging open in shock, all colour gone from his cheeks.

“I didn’t want to…” He mumbled, all heat gone from his voice, guilt and misery and fear wafting over him. 

“But you did.” Erica scolded, her voice softening slightly as she felt the distress Derek was in, but, still, she had to explain her reasoning to him, had to make him understand. “You wanted to protect Stiles so badly that you purposefully hurt him. I wasn’t willing to do the same thing Derek, he wanted to go, this was what he wanted to do. I wanted to tell you, but, at that point I thought you’d kicked Stiles out of the pack, and, when I found out the truth, that you’d done it to try and keep him safe, I tried to tell you, you didn’t even let me get the words out, you were ordering all of us to never tell Stiles that he was still pack, and I was so mad. So mad Derek. You hurt him. You hurt my best friend deliberately. And you weren’t going to let us tell him the truth, the real reasons why. Maybe I wanted you to suffer. Maybe I wanted you to realise that Stiles is capable of handling himself. That he doesn’t need your protection. He never has done. He makes his own choices, knowing the consequences, and choosing to do it anyway if he felt like it was the right thing. He didn’t need you to protect him. He wanted you to love him. And you told him you didn’t. I wasn’t going to stop him from doing what he wanted, even if it felt like the wrong thing, not when he was already hurt.” Erica explained, looking at Derek with sympathy but still determination, she wasn’t backing down on this, she got Derek was hurting, but, Stiles had been hurting more and Derek was the one responsible for that. There was a stunned silence, nobody seemed to know what to say, they couldn’t argue with what Erica had said, but, Stiles had joined the CIA, he had put himself in danger, they needed to see with their own eyes that he was okay. 

“I’m going to call Jackson.” Lydia said a few minutes later, knowing something needed to be done, “He can get to Stiles quicker than we can.”

“You can’t tell Jackson that Stiles is in Ireland!” Peter snapped, snatching the phone from her hand before she could dial.

“Why not!? Stiles could be in danger!” Lydia replied. 

“Because if Jackson’s Alpha finds out Stiles is in Ireland, he might go after him. The council may have scared him away when Stiles was on the other side of the world, but, if he’s right there, a few hundred miles away, he may decide it’s worth the risk.” Peter explained and Lydia nodded silently, she hadn’t thought of that, calling Jackson could put Stiles in even more danger. 

“How does this usually work?” Kira asked. 

“What do you mean?” Noah said. 

“I mean, you’ve managed the last eighteen months knowing that Stiles is out there, that he’s completing ‘projects’ or ‘assignments’ or whatever, and, you haven’t lost your mind completely. How do you manage? Does he call you? Do you call him? What’s the procedure?” She expanded and Noah and Erica looked at each other before nodding in agreement. 

“Usually he calls us when he finishes an assignment, letting us know it’s all okay, that he’s not hurt and where he’s heading next, sometimes he has to stay there for a few days, debrief or whatever, in which case we don’t hear from him for a few days until he’s on the plane, or he’s landed in the next place or whatever.” Noah muttered. 

“How long does it take?” Derek pressed urgently, “How long would be standard between what sounded like a bomb going off and calling you to tell you it was over and he was safe?” 

“That’s not exactly standard.” Erica replied and Derek looked at her pained, “But, if you have to have an answer, an hour, maybe two, long enough to get out of the area to a safe house, or, take down the threat. He always tries to call as soon as he can, he doesn’t like us worrying, so, if he knows we heard the explosion, he’ll probably try and call sooner, let us know that he’s okay.” 

“Okay, so, we wait, an hour. If we haven’t heard from him by then, I buy a ticket and fly out there, find him and bring him home.” Derek agreed.

“You? What about the rest of us?” Scott queried.

“The less people the better. We don’t want to all get arrested or murdered.” Derek replied.

“So sending the Alpha is the logical choice?” Isaac said, “Derek, anything happens to you and the pack falls apart. You can’t go. I’ll go instead.”

“Both of us will go.” Cora supplied.

“No chance. I’m not going to sit here when you guys could be in danger. It’s better that it’s me. I’m stronger than you, I’ll have a better chance of getting Stiles and getting out of there alive.” Derek argued.

“You don’t even know who you’re up against.” Lydia rolled her eyes, “We’d need to be invisible, tourists, or something, you don’t blend in. Peter, Malia and I can go.”

“No. Will you all just listen to me!? It’s too dangerous. None of you are going!” Derek shouted just as Erica’s phone started to ring. 

“Stiles? You okay?” Erica said with relief, putting the phone on speaker so those without supernatural hearing could hear him. 

“Fine Rica. What was life and death?” Stiles said but he sounded weary. 

“Never mind that.” Allison said, “When were you going to tell us you joined the CIA? And what was that explosion? Was it a bomb? Are you hurt? Were you the target?” 

“Joined the CIA?” Stiles spluttered sounding surprised.

“Lydia figured it out.” Erica interrupted, “We had to tell them, it would have been obvious if we’d been lying.” 

“Right.” Stiles said, sounding like he was gritting his teeth slightly. 

“You’re hurt.” Erica said.

“What? No. I’m fine.” Stiles said. 

“Stiles, if you weren’t hurt you’d be skyping not calling, so, what the fuck happened?” Erica replied, “I thought you were supposed to be in Spain, why were you in Ireland?”

“I don’t call only when I’m hurt, I sometimes call because there’s nowhere safe to skype from, and, it’s a long story.” 

“Tell us.” Boyd demanded, he knew Erica had been hiding something about Stiles’ college, he just hadn’t imagined it being this, hadn’t imagined that Stiles was in another country spying on people and putting himself in harm’s way. 

“He’s not telling you shit right now.” Theo’s voice came over the phone.

“Theo!” Stiles’ voice sounded further away, as if Theo had snatched the phone away from him. 

“Don’t ‘Theo’ me! We need to get off the street and we need to get that bleeding stopped, which should have been the fucking priority, but, no, you had to call Erica and let her know you weren’t dead!” Theo huffed in annoyance.

“Bleeding? What bleeding?” Noah asked sounding panicked. 

“Stiles got hit, it’s not that bad. He won’t die. If we deal with it now. I’ll get him to call you later.” Theo dismissed before he hung up the phone and nobody was sure if they felt better or worse for the phone call, on the one hand, Stiles hadn’t been killed in a bomb explosion, on the other, he had been hit by a stray bullet or something and he was bleeding. 

Derek paced around the living room in agitation, every fibre of his being wanting him to jump on a plane and get to Stiles but knowing that he didn’t even know where to start, it wasn’t like he could just fly to Ireland and find Stiles, Stiles was a spy, making a big deal out of his identity could put him in more danger. 

Stiles called back later that evening, he sounded tired, but not like he was in pain and that was important. He sounded like he’d been sleeping and if Derek concentrated hard enough, he was almost certain he could hear Theo’s even breathing from somewhere close by, they were obviously in bed together, he tried not to let his jealously flare. 

“I’m okay, honestly.” Stiles said quietly. 

“You sound tired.” Noah said in sympathy.

“It’s been a long few days. Our target decided to leave the country, hence why I didn’t tell you about leaving Spain.”

“We need to discuss the fact that you’ve been working for the CIA.” Peter scolded. 

“I can’t talk about that. State secrets and all that bullshit.” Stiles sighed wearily. 

“But you tell your dad and Erica!” Scott whined. 

“I tell them which country I am in and that I’m alive. That’s it. And I shouldn’t even do that. Everything else is classified.” Stiles replied. 

“Are you kidding me!?” Malia asked, “You’re a fucking spy Stiles! That needs some kind of explanation!”

“I’m not a spy, more like, I kind of, travel the world and gather knowledge.” Stiles said. 

“That’s just another way of saying you’re a spy!” Malia argued. “We want you to come home, we need to talk to you.” 

“I can’t. I need to debrief with the superiors. Then we’re supposed to go to Argentina.” 

“Argentina, great, you’re practically home, we’ll come meet you.” Lydia said decidedly. 

“You’re not coming and meeting me.” Stiles growled in annoyance before sighing, “Look, I’m exhausted, I need to sleep, you guys need to process all this CIA crap, I’ll call you in a few days when we’ve gone through the debrief, sound fair?” 

“Stiles, this isn’t something we can just brush aside…” Peter began before he was interrupted by a stirring Theo.

“Can we please just sleep? We’ve both nearly died tonight. Again. Let us rest.” Theo mumbled in exhaustion. 

“Alright. Fine. Call us when you get out of the debrief.” Boyd ordered while Derek gritted his teeth and tried to control his wolf. Stiles was in danger, Stiles had nearly died, he was supposed to be safer away from them and he’d nearly died, again, Derek needed to get him back, he needed to bring him home and keep him safe, even if it meant locking Stiles in his bedroom and not letting him out, just, Derek needed to know Stiles was safe, he was half feral already at the thought of Stiles being hurt. 

Stiles did call a few days later, saying that his orders had been changed, they were shipping off to Turkey instead and that he’d call them when he could. Derek wasn’t happy about it, but, he didn’t know what to do, telling Stiles everything over the phone felt too casual, he wanted Stiles to know, to see, how sincerely sorry Derek was for hurting him in the first place, he wanted to do this face-to-face and he didn’t know how to convince Stiles to come home. 

They were all slowly adjusting to the idea that Stiles was working for the CIA, it was kind of unbelievable but, it was what Stiles had chosen to do with his life and he was obviously very good at it, otherwise he would have been dead long before now or stuck behind a desk for the rest of his life which he evidently wasn’t, even if Derek would be a hell of a lot happier that Stiles was behind a desk rather than out there risking his life. 

Noah and Erica kept reassuring them that Stiles was capable of handling whatever was thrown his way, that he’d spent eighteen months going through a vigorous training course that even the most hardened men would run away from if they had any sense. 

It had been three weeks since they’d found out about Stiles working for the CIA and although none of them were happy about it, Stiles checked in on a regular basis and it was enough to at least put their minds at ease until they could talk to Stiles for more than two minutes without him cutting them off, telling them he was busy and could he call them back later when he had more time. The pack were gathered at Noah’s house, Isaac and Cora had prepared dinner and Erica had insisted that they all get together to watch the game, the pack were all spread out around the living room and kitchen, helping themselves to the various dishes and settling into the seats around the room. 

“Are we taking bets on this then?” Peter queried as he sat down next to Noah. 

“I’m starting to feel bad for always taking your money.” Noah joked in reply. The television was turned low in the background, Derek wasn’t really listening to the conversations, instead he was just basking in the glow of the pack, wishing that Stiles was here so that he could share in it too, watching the smiles on everyone’s faces, thinking back to the time before Stiles left and how much had changed in that time, how Isaac and Kira had been awkward around Scott and Allison, and how Isaac and Cora were now dating, how Kira got on so well with the others in the pack and held no grudge against Scott or Allison, Derek hadn’t expected her too, it wasn’t like Kira had a bad bone in her body, but, still, it made things easier. Erica was in the kitchen, calling out to anyone if they wanted any more snacks when Derek heard a car stop outside the house, its engine idling for a moment before it switched off and two doors opened. 

“…so simple, we’ll stop and see your dad, let him know what’s going on, then we’ll go across and see Hale. Sound fair?” The first voice said.

“I don’t know about this Theo. It feels wrong.” Derek stilled, his heart thudding erratically because that was Stiles’ voice, Stiles was here, Stiles was just outside. It was obvious that Derek wasn’t the only one who had heard Stiles’ voice, Erica dropped the large bag of chips she was holding and was staring at the closed door in shock.

“Erica? You okay?” Noah asked in confusion as she moved towards the door with a stunned expression on her face, Erica flung the door open and stared at the two men that were half way across the front lawn. 

“Stiles!” She squealed in excitement, launching herself off the front steps, running across the garden and jumping into Stiles’ startled arms, “Oh my god, Stiles!” She grinned, wrapping her legs around his waist and pressing her nose against his neck, “Christ, you smell so much better than I remember, oh my god, god, I’ve missed you, I’ve missed you so fucking much.” 

Stiles had been discussing things with Theo, not sure that going to his dads house before informing the pack of their presence was the right thing to do, he didn’t expect to see Erica to come running towards him, barrelling out of the house and jumping into his arms, Stiles had only a split second to adjust his stance and catch her before she could knock him over, his vision obscured slightly by curls of blonde hair, a warm nose that pressed against his neck and inhaled deeply, causing him to laugh slightly at the sensation. 

“Hey Catwoman.” He grinned into her hair, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly, spinning them in place, “Missed you too.” 

“Stiles!” Scott called in excitement, bouncing off the top step and attempting to hug Stiles too, except, Stiles was still carrying Erica and there was no way to stop Scott from knocking into him and sending the three of them crashing to the floor, Stiles laughing in bemusement as both werewolves climbed on top of him, hugging him and inhaling his scent at the same time, he let out a huff of air when another body landed on the pile that was forming on top of him, Isaac’s blonde hair coming into view just behind Erica’s. 

“Stiles!? What are you doing here?” Noah’s voice drifted into his ears from behind the other excited squeals.

“Hey dad!” Stiles called, waving a hand in what he thought was his dad’s direction, not really able to see him from under the bodies that were lying on top of him, “Woah, hey, hey, noses are for above clothes only.” He chided when someone tried to stick a nose under his shirt, laughing as he tried to sit upright, pushing gently at the wolves as he tried to ease himself out from under them. 

Stiles looked up, his dad was standing on the front porch, looking at Stiles with relief and astonishment, Derek was standing next to him, his eyes flashing red and snarling at Theo dangerously.

“Oh damn.” Stiles muttered under his breath.

“You brought a werewolf into my territory?” Derek hissed dangerously, eyes not even looking at Stiles and Stiles stood up quickly, sighing in amusement when Erica jumped onto his back and pressed her nose against his neck again.

“Dude! You’re a werewolf!? Why didn’t you tell me?” He said to Theo teasingly, Theo just glanced at him in annoyance and Stiles rolled his eyes. “Alright, lame joke, I get it.” Stiles said, dropping Erica and taking a step towards the front porch, “We were going to come and ask permission, once we’d seen dad.” Stiles explained and Derek turned to look at him for the first time, his gaze freezing on Stiles. 

Derek had been stunned when he’d realised Stiles was outside, he’d been enraged when he’d realised that Theo was with him and that he was a werewolf! How could Stiles not tell them this!? How could he bring him here? Into Derek’s territory? He turned to look at Stiles and, for a second, he forgot how to breathe. 

Stiles had changed, he’d grown, he was the same height as Derek now, his skin was slightly more tanned than it had been but it was still paler than his own, still covered in moles that Derek knew covered his body, his hair was about the same length it had been when he left town, long enough for Derek to tangle his fingers in it, his shoulders were broader, his hips still narrow and he held himself more confidently. He was wearing a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips but clung tight to his ass and a long sleeved dark t-shirt under a tanned leather jacket that highlighted the caramel in his eyes, and his eyes, god his eyes, they’d changed too, they looked like they held the weight of the world, but there was still warmth in them, still light, still breath-taking, like Derek could get lost in them for days on end. God, Stiles was stunning, and Derek was lost for words, Stiles literally made his heart skip a beat and Derek knew everyone with supernatural hearing heard it. 

“Permission?” Noah queried. 

“For Theo and I to be in Hale territory, at least for a few days?” Stiles said and Derek stared at him, he still hadn’t blinked and Stiles was feeling more uncertain by the second, “I mean, we can go again, if you aren’t happy with us being in your territory, but, we won’t be here long, just, you know, I wanted to see dad, and, I thought it would be a good time, now you guys know my actual job…” Stiles trailed off.

“Of course you’re welcome to stay, both of you are, Derek’s just forgotten his manners for a moment.” Peter said, striding off the porch to pull Stiles into a hug, “We’ve all missed you Stiles, we’re happy you’re home.” 

“Thanks.” Stiles said, feeling a little surprised that Peter was being kind to him. 

“So, I assume your employers have given you some time off?” Erica asked and Stiles nodded.

“Something like that.” He grinned. 

“And Theo couldn’t go to his own home?” Derek growled and Theo smirked at him, Derek instantly didn’t like him. 

“Well, we thought, it would be a good time to make it official, you know, meet the parents and all that.” Theo said, taking a step forward and taking Stiles’ hand in his own, Derek felt like something was squeezing his chest at that small movement. 

“Wait! What? You two are dating? Since when?” Erica quizzed, eyeing Theo suspiciously. 

“Um, a while.” Stiles replied.

“We didn’t want to tell you until we were certain about what was going on between us, and, now we have, and, it’s serious, so, we figured it was time that we were properly introduced.” Theo said, stepping forward and reaching out for Noah’s hand, “Sheriff Stilinski, it’s a pleasure to meet you officially sir.” Noah stared at him assessingly for a moment before he nodded, shaking Theo’s outstretched hand. 

“You too.” Noah said, shooting a glance at Derek who was still staring at Stiles like he’d never seen him before. They stood in silence for a moment before Noah cleared his throat, stepping off the porch and moving towards Stiles, “It’s damn good to see you kiddo.” Noah said, Stiles grinning at him widely before pulling him into a hug, Stiles hugging him back just as tightly.

“So, how long are you staying?” Erica asked, jumping back up onto Stiles’ back and pressing her nose into his neck again, “Because we have so much to catch up on, like, obviously I tell you everything anyway, but, it’ll be so much different actually having you here, so, how long do I get you before you’re called off on missions of life and death importance?” Erica asked and Stiles laughed, letting go of Theo’s hand and carrying her into house, following after his father. 

“Um, we’re not sure yet.” Stiles muttered, depositing Erica into the nearest seat, ignoring the side eye that Erica and Noah both gave him. 

“Dude, we need to have like a party or something, some kind of celebration, that you’re home, there’s a new club opened up, we could go there? Or, we could call everyone and let them know, Lydia? You could organise that? Get everyone to come to the Hale house?” Scott rambled and Stiles laughed lightly.

“Scotty, chill, we don’t need some big party or whatever, or anything really, just, I’m happy to be here.” Stiles said easily. 

“Alright, well, we could order pizza, sit here, catch up, tell us about your adventures, Theo, you like pizza right?” Scott continued. 

“Sure, that sounds great, don’t you think babe?” Theo said, leaning in and giving Stiles a quick peck on the lips, Stiles looked startled almost, his heart speeding up the slightest bit before he smiled softly and glanced at Theo. 

“Yeah, sure, sounds great.” Stiles said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

“I’ll go put our bags in your room? I mean, I’m assuming it’s okay that we both stay here sir?” Theo said to Noah who nodded uncertainly, glancing at Stiles who gave him a tight nod.

“Yeah, yes, sure.” Noah said and they all watched as Theo headed out of the house, grabbed their bags from the car, and headed upstairs to put them in Stiles’ room. 

“I don’t want to share you with everyone else just yet.” Erica whined, clinging to Stiles when he moved slightly, “Can’t we have tonight just me and you and your dad?” 

“And me?” Theo smiled and Stiles shook his head fondly, “Unless you want me to go wander the town instead?” 

“No, no, it’s fine.” Stiles replied, “Catwoman, you have to learn how to share, besides, Peter’s already ordered like twenty pizzas, I know your metabolism means you can eat more, but, I’ll be seriously impressed if we can eat twenty pizzas between four of us. Let’s have a group catch up now, and the four of us can talk later, after everyone else had gone home? Sound reasonable?” 

“I know how to share.” Erica pouted, “I just don’t like sharing you.” She said and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Now you know how I feel.” Theo joked, placing a hand possessively on the back of Stiles’ neck which Erica eyed distrustfully before Stiles stood up, shaking both of them off him and standing near Scott. 

“So, what were you guys up to before we so rudely interrupted?” Stiles asked.

“Well, we’d actually just had dinner and were watching the game.” Lydia said. 

“Oh, sorry, you didn’t need to order more food just for us, I could have gone out and grabbed us something instead.” Stiles said. 

“Nonsense, we can always eat again.” Boyd said dismissively. 

Derek knew he was staring at Stiles, knew that everyone in the room was picking up on his jealousy, knew Theo knew it too, judging by the smirk he shot in his direction when he took their bags upstairs. He just couldn’t stop staring at Stiles, he’d forgotten how perfect he was, how he used his hands to express everything, how his eyes gave away every emotion he felt, and, god, god, he was so perfect and Derek had missed him so fucking much, all he wanted to do was go to Stiles, to beg his forgiveness, to beg him for a second chance, except, Stiles was with Theo now, and, it was apparently serious enough that during their time off from work, they’d decided to introduce Theo to the Sheriff as Stiles’ boyfriend.

“So, what happened? I thought you were going to Turkey?” Lydia asked when the pizzas has arrived and they were all sat in the living room, Theo sitting in one of the armchairs and Stiles perching on the armrest, nearly sat on Theo’s lap but not quite. 

“Yeah, we went to Turkey, did the job, and then the big boss got in touch, said we were due some leave, we decided coming here was a good idea, seems so you guys are in the know now and all that.” Theo explained and Stiles nodded along with him. 

“How long have the two of you been dating? Who asked who out? Do you go on dates while you’re saving the world?” Kira asked and Stiles blushed slightly, glancing to Theo who once again was the one to reply.

“A few months now, I asked Stiles, he was too oblivious to realise I’d been crushing on him for months, honestly, I had to spell it out to him, and, yeah, I guess so, we just kind of keep a low profile, no causing scenes unless that’s the aim of the game.” 

“And why would you want to cause a scene?” Peter said in bemusement. 

“Oh, well, there was this one time, we were hunting our target, he was big into child trafficking and we were picked to help bring down him and his entire network, so, it was around valentine’s day…” Theo began and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Long story short, the guy had a thing for pale, lanky looking weirdos, so, we pretended to have a big bust up, the guy took the bait and voila.” Stiles said dismissively. 

“I’m assuming by ‘pale, lanky looking weirdos’ you’re talking about yourself?” Isaac asked and Stiles grinned.

“Got it in one.” 

“Idiot.” Theo said fondly, pulling Stiles down onto his lap, “We both know you are gorgeous.” Theo muttered quietly and Stiles blushed, his gaze shooting to his dad before he jumped up and moved to the kitchen, calling out to ask if anyone else wanted another drink. 

“So, you used yourself as bait? What happened to the guy? Did you arrest him? Lock him in a jail cell for the rest of his life?” Scott asked excitedly. 

“Something like that, yeah.” Stiles said depreciatingly. 

“No, come on, he’s so modest, so, Stiles wins this guy’s trust, goes full on undercover, spends, what was it? Six weeks?” Theo asked and Stiles shrugged, “Alright, about six weeks basically convincing this guy that they were madly in love and the entire time he’s spilling all the information on the smuggling ring they had going. As soon as we got all the information we put a sting in place and, like Stiles said, voila.”

“Hang on, you slept with this guy for a job!?” Derek said in annoyance, unable to believe that Stiles would do something like that. 

“No.” Stiles snapped in reply, glaring at him in disgust, “I don’t need to sleep with people to convince them that they’re in love with me, oddly enough I’ve not quite stooped to the level of pimping myself out for information.” Derek stared at him, not sure how he could reply to that without sounding idiotic, he nodded tightly and Stiles glared at him before returning to his earlier seat, not seeming remotely bothered when Theo tugged him back down into his lap again and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. 

“Well, the whole, stopping the bad guy and saving the world bit sounds awesome.” Kira said enthusiastically and Stiles gave her a small grin, obviously aware that she was trying to diffuse some of the awkwardness in the room. 

“It was.” Stiles smiled easily. 

“How long does the average mission last? When is the next time you get leave? Are you going to start coming home between each mission?” Allison quizzed and Stiles shrugged.

“It depends on the target. It’s not something that happens very often at the moment, this is kind of a freak occurrence, and, I don’t think so, this is a one-off I think.” Stiles replied and Derek tried not to be disappointed at that, Stiles was only here for a few days, that was it. 

They spent the next few hours catching up, talking about what Stiles and Theo had been doing as well as the two of them listening to everything that the pack had been up to, Stiles looked happy, content, he’d moved off Theo’s lap, instead sitting on the floor in front of the chair, laughing as Erica rested her head on his lap and he played absentmindedly with her hair while listening intently to the story that Scott was telling, smiling and laughing and generally being the lightness that Derek felt had been missing since the moment Stiles had left town. 

“Alright, well, maybe we should call it a night?” Theo said several hours later, his fingers brushing Stiles’ hair for just a moment before Stiles nodded, moving smoothly out of reach. 

“Yeah, sure, I’m beat.” Stiles agreed. One by one the pack got up, all of them planning on returning to the Hale house, other than Erica and Noah who would obviously both be staying here for the night. Derek watched as Stiles hugged every member of the pack goodbye, telling them he’d see them in the morning, that they could hang out tomorrow at some point. Derek felt nervous, knowing it was his time to say goodbye to Stiles, not knowing what to say without making Stiles hate him, he approached slowly, aware of Peter waiting by the door while the rest of the pack were already outside. 

“I…um…” Derek began nervously and Stiles sighed, not looking him in the eyes.

“It was good to see you Derek.” Stiles replied evenly. 

“Yeah, you too.” Derek said, he opened his mouth, not sure what else he wanted to say, other than beg Stiles to forgive him, to dump Theo and come home. 

“See you around.” Stiles said dismissively and Derek nodded, taking the hint, Stiles didn’t want anything to do with him, and that was Derek’s fault, he didn’t blame Stiles in the least.

“Yeah.” Derek agreed before turning on his heel and following Peter out of the door. 

“God, was that as awkward for everyone else? Or was it just me?” Cora said as soon as the door shut behind them. 

“Shut up.” Derek grunted, hating himself for his own stupidity, he’d been the one to push Stiles away, what did he expect? For Stiles to wait around for him to figure out what an idiot he’d been? As soon as they got home, he went up to his bedroom and threw himself on the bed, staring at the ceiling and shaking his head in despair at his actions tonight, Christ, how was he supposed to get Stiles to forgive him when he couldn’t even get a sentence out that didn’t sound like he was accusing Stiles of prostituting himself? There was no hope, none at all. 

“Mica, they’ve gone. Want to tell us the real reason you’re here? I’m assuming you’re working because we both know you’re not dating Theo.” Erica said as soon as the pack had left and Stiles sighed, sinking into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and meeting his dad’s gaze.

“There’s a body in the morgue, Christopher Davidson, seventy-eight years old, died of natural causes.” Stiles said.

“Yeah, it rings a bell vaguely, one of the deputy’s found him in his bed at home, no sign of any disturbance, looks like he died in his sleep.” Noah agreed.

“He may be of interest to us.” Stiles said and Noah sighed.

“Christ, I mean, I figured you’d end up on a case here eventually, it was only a matter of time, but, god, alright, what do you need me to do?” 

“Nothing.” Stiles said seriously, “Stay out of this, we’ve got this handled.”

“And don’t tell the pack.” Theo added, “As far as they’re aware, the two of us are loved up and using this time off for me to get to know Noah, they can’t know the real reason we’re here.” 

“Fine.” Erica pouted. “But, I want to be involved Mica, I’m here, I’ve got supernatural strength and speed too, I can help.”

“I know you can Rica, but, we’re not even sure what we’re dealing with yet, for now, we need to look at Mr Davidson’s body, not tonight, we’re exhausted, it’s been a long trip…”

“And you’re still recovering from the other week.” Theo added and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Still? It took that much out of you?” Erica queried and Stiles shrugged.

“Not a big deal. Point being, we don’t need to look at the body tonight, first thing in the morning, do I need to get my credentials out? Or are we okay just going and having a look?” Stiles asked.

“No, you’ll be fine. I’ll give them a call first thing, let them know to expect you, tell you anything you need to know.” Noah confirmed.

“Thanks dad.” Stiles said, it was a lot easier having his dad be able to pull some strings, he hated going in and flashing his credentials, it put people on edge, made them defensive, made his job harder. 

They headed up to bed not long after, Stiles hadn’t been lying, he was exhausted and seeing Derek had hurt more than he had thought it would, he’d convinced himself that he was over him, that Derek was nothing more than the Alpha werewolf in the town where his dad lived, but, seeing him, being in the same room as him, it brought all those emotions flooding back, like he was still standing in Derek’s loft, fighting back tears as Derek told him how it wasn’t anything special, that it meant nothing. Stiles forced the emotions down, he wasn’t here to dredge all that up, he was here to work, that was all.


	5. Chapter 5

He was used to sharing the bed with Theo by now, so he wasn’t exactly bothered about sharing the bed, but, it felt weird, he didn’t like that they were pretending to be in a relationship, he understood Theo’s logic, they’d discussed how people would query why Theo wasn’t spending his time off with his own family, this made the most sense, but, he didn’t like it. It wasn’t like it was the first time he’d faked being in love with someone, but, doing it here, in front of people he’d known for years, in front of Scott, it felt wrong, even if his dad and Erica knew the truth, it still felt wrong. 

“Morning sweetheart.” Theo muttered when Stiles finally opened his eyes in the morning light, he guessed from that greeting that there were werewolves in the nearby vicinity who could hear their conversation. 

“Hey.” Stiles replied simply, stretching slightly and feeling the dull ache that had been present in his body since Erica had called about the witch cursing Derek. Theo rolled over in the bed, pinning Stiles to the mattress and pressing his nose to his neck.

“You smell like them.” Theo muttered, quietly enough that hopefully nobody else would hear, “You should smell like me.”

“Gosh you wolves are so damn possessive.” Stiles teased lightly, putting aside his unease at the way Theo kissed and licked at his neck, he understood that he needed to smell like Theo if the wolves were to buy the story that they were dating, and Stiles couldn’t smell as unhappy as he felt about it, otherwise there would be no way they’d believe them. 

“Don’t you ever doubt it baby.” Theo replied, lowering his weight just slightly onto Stiles. 

“Oh-kay, well, I have serious morning breath so let me go get washed up.” Stiles said, trying to ease out from under Theo who still had his wrists pinned in his grip, Theo stared at him for a moment and Stiles waited for him to release him.

“I don’t care about your morning breath.” Theo said, leaning in and kissing a startled Stiles, he’d barely done more than touch their lips together when Stiles bucked his hips, throwing Theo off, rolling them over so that he was the one on top.

“Well I do.” Stiles said, still aiming for light hearted, “So, I’m going to clean up, why don’t you go down and talk to dad? After all, this trip is supposed to be about getting to know him better.” 

“And spending time with you.” Theo smirked and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“You already spend plenty of time with me.” Stiles laughed. 

“Fine. But you know I’m just going to be thinking about you in the shower and that’s going to be really distracting for me…” Theo whined and Stiles laughed. 

“Yeah, super distracting.” Stiles replied sarcastically, jumping off Theo and heading to the bathroom. 

When he got downstairs he wasn’t surprised to find Scott in the kitchen with his dad, Erica and Theo, he was surprised to find Derek there as well, but, he knew his dad and Derek spent quite a bit of time together, knew that Derek would often come over to the Stilinski household before his shift started to drive them in together, and, since Derek was in his uniform along with Noah, Stiles guessed that was exactly what had happened. 

“Morning.” Stiles greeted and Scott practically bounced in his seat in excitement.

“Hey buddy, sorry, we didn’t want to wake you, but, I wanted to let you know, I’ve got to be at Deaton’s in twenty minutes, but, I’ve arranged to finish at lunch, so, I thought, this afternoon, you, me, videogame, popcorn, Reese’s cups? What do you think?” Scott smiled.

“Yeah that sounds good Scotty, but, Theo and I were going to have a wander around town, you know show him the sights? Maybe we could push it back a few hours? Do it this evening instead?” Stiles said.

“Yeah, sure thing Stiles, whatever works for you, and, Theo can join us of course, I need to get to know him after all.” Scott grinned and Theo nodded.

“Yeah Scott, that would be great.” Theo replied.

“Great, okay, I’ve got to get to work, but, give me a call when you get home and I’ll come over?” Scott said and Stiles nodded before Scott left after giving him a brief hug. Erica was sipping her coffee, giving Stiles a small smirk as Stiles rolled his eyes, Theo moved over to make himself some toast and Derek stood tensely at the other side of the counter, refusing to look at Stiles or Theo while he waited for Noah to finish getting ready for work. Stiles clenched his teeth in annoyance, while he was back in Beacon Hills, Derek was going to be around, it was time to sort this out. 

“Derek, could I speak to you privately please?” Stiles said, not waiting to see if Derek followed as he opened the front door and walked away from the house, far enough away that he knew Erica and Theo wouldn’t be able to hear, he turned around when he was part way down the block and glared at Derek who had followed behind him.

“Stiles…”

“Look, let me just say this.” Stiles said, interrupting Derek before he could get another word out, “I get that the last time we saw each other things were…tense between us. But, look, what happened was a mistake, you know that, I know that, but it was three years ago Derek. Times have changed. You are friends with my dad, my friends are part of your pack, the fact is we’re going to be involved in each other’s lives, at least on the outskirts or whatever, so, can we at least be civil with each other? I mean, we were sort of friends before? Well, more like, maybe not friends, I mean, I’m pretty certain you only kept me around to keep Scott happy, but, we could at least hold a conversation, no, I could hold a conversation and you would roll your eyes every five seconds like you were thinking of all the different ways you could kill me, except you never did, so can we try and be that again?” Stiles asked and Derek looked pained before nodding.

“Yeah, I can, friends would be, yeah.” Derek agreed and Stiles sighed heavily.

“Good, right, glad to hear it.” Stiles said before moving past him and heading back towards the house. 

Erica watched Noah disappear upstairs looking for his belt and she waited until Stiles and Derek had left the house, until they were out of earshot and then she rounded on Theo.

“I know what you’re doing.” She said simply.

“What?” Theo replied.

“With Mica, with this whole fake relationship thing, you’re using it as an attempt to get him to fall for you. But he’s not interested in you, not like that, and if you continue using this bullshit lie as an excuse to leave your marks on him, I’m going to hurt you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Theo smirked and Erica snarled at him. 

“Mica doesn’t fancy you. He works with you, that’s all this is, a business arrangement. You’re deluding yourself if you think anything else.” Erica snapped. 

“Well, that’s your opinion…” Theo began, cutting off when he heard Derek and Stiles returning, “But I get you’re protective of Stiles, I understand that Erica, it’s lovely that as his best friend you’re warning me not to hurt him, but, I swear to you, I’m not going to hurt him, we’re serious about each other, we’ve been dating for five months, we’re happy together, we love each other. I’m sure Stiles loves the fact that you’re protecting his virtue, but, it really doesn’t need protecting from me, I love him and I would never hurt him.” Theo said, smirking at her as both Stiles and Derek came back through the door, knowing that Derek would have heard every word and that Erica couldn’t argue back without ruining their cover. 

“Hey, everything okay?” Stiles asked, picking up on some tension between the two of them. 

“Yeah fine.” Theo said, getting out of his seat and moving towards Stiles, resting a hand on Stiles’ neck and leaning in towards him, “Erica’s just giving me the traditional best friend warning, you know, if I hurt you she’ll have to kill me, all that kind of crap.” Theo explained, pulling Stiles a little closer and giving him a soft kiss on the lips, Stiles pulled away a second later, blushing slightly and pointedly avoiding looking at Derek or Erica. 

“Well, thanks for that Rica, you never can be too sure, anyway, I’m starving, did you leave any toast?” Stiles said, hopefully breaking the awkward tension he felt in the room, not exactly sure where it was coming from. 

Thankfully his dad reappeared, kitted out in his uniform and greeting Stiles with an affectionate squeeze on his shoulder.

“You’ll be okay today? I’ll be back for dinner, you’ll be okay until then?” Noah asked and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Yes dad, I’m sure Theo and I can manage wandering around town for the day without any issues. I’ll see you here later.” Stiles replied easily, trying to ease his dad’s worry, they were only just beginning their investigation, it would probably be a few days before they got any lead on what had happened to Mr Davidson, if there was even a case here, it might be nothing, he didn’t need his dad worrying just yet.

Noah and Derek left not long after, Erica a few minutes after that and then Theo and Stiles got down to business. Their first call was going to be to the morgue, as his dad had called them earlier and explained that Stiles and Theo would be calling in, they didn’t need to bother getting suited up, Stiles throwing his leather jacket on over his t-shirt and snatching the keys up for the SUV they were driving. Stiles used to think that Derek just wore them because they made him look dangerous and attractive and made sure that everyone paid attention to him, Stiles wore his because he found out that the leather was tough, it rarely tore and hadn’t been damaged majorly in the last six months that Stiles had been wearing it, and, there had been plenty of occasions where it should have been destroyed. 

The body didn’t tell them much, in fact, it told them nothing, so the next stop was to go to the old man’s house, Stiles picked the lock, the door swinging open smoothly into the silent house, the air smelled old, stale and slightly sulphuric, he knew Theo recognised the scent instantly from the way he tensed.

Derek was grumpy, he didn’t mean to be, but he was tired, he’d barely slept, not when he knew Stiles was home, that he just needed to talk to him and things could be okay between them, well, not as okay as Derek wanted them to be, but, better, better than they were at the moment. Except, he didn’t know how to do it, how to explain it without sounding like he was jealous, he was jealous, he knew that, but, he didn’t want Stiles to think that his jealously was the only reason Derek was saying anything. He knew how Stiles’ mind worked, if Derek went to him, explained about the fact he’d been lying, that Stiles was pack and that Derek wanted to be with him, Stiles wouldn’t believe him, he’d think that Derek was lying to him because he didn’t like another wolf in his territory and this was Derek’s way of trying to get rid of Theo. He didn’t know how he’d be able to convince Stiles otherwise. Which meant that for now, he couldn’t say anything. He had to let Stiles see that he had no problem with Theo being here, then he could tell him the truth, it was the only way Stiles would believe him.

It was a long day, Noah kept him busy which he was grateful for, it meant he didn’t have to think about what Theo and Stiles were up to, he had thought that Noah would take a few days off to spend time with Stiles while he was home but Noah insisted that he didn’t want to overwhelm Theo. 

Derek intended to go back to his house, to drop Noah off and head back to the Hale house and leave the man to spend time with his son and Theo, except, when he pulled up outside the Stilinski household Noah opened his door and Derek caught the scent of Stiles’ blood and it was enough to make his wolf howl with worry, Stiles was hurt. 

He opened his door, explaining to Noah that Stiles was bleeding even as he walked towards the house, his ears listening to every sound, desperate to hear the one thing that mattered above all else, Stiles’ heartbeat. He heard it thudding steadily from upstairs, he’d been about to tell Noah that it was fine, that Stiles was alive, but, Noah had already opened the door and was calling out for Stiles. 

“Stiles!?” Noah shouted even as his eyes drifted to the room around them, it was covered in muddy footprints and there were spots of blood littering the floor, there were two piles of discarded clothing at the bottom of the stairs, covered in mud and blood, Derek’s nose wrinkled at the smell coming from them. 

“M’fine! Be down in a second!” Stiles yelled back over the sound of running water and Derek grimaced when he realised Stiles was in the bathroom along with Theo. He wanted to turn around and leave right now, but, Noah was rolling his eyes and waving Derek into the kitchen, pouring both of them a drink and staring at the mud that was covering the handles of a few cupboards and the first aid kit that was lying half open on the kitchen table.

Derek didn’t have long to take in the scene before Stiles was coming down the stairs a little gingerly, Theo following right behind him, both of them were still damp from the shower, but they were wearing clean clothes and neither of them smelled as bad as the clothes that were dumped at the bottom of the stairs. Stiles bent down, picking up the dirty clothes and carrying them to the washing machine, Derek didn’t miss the fact that he was limping slightly and every part of him wanted to go over and drain the pain from Stiles, but, he couldn’t do that, Stiles was Theo’s boyfriend, Derek had no right to touch him in any way. 

“Sorry about the mess. We’ll get it cleaned up.” Theo said to Noah with a small smile. 

“Want to tell me what happened?” Noah asked and Derek tried not to look too interested in whatever had happened to create this mess, “I thought you were supposed to be hanging out with Scott?”

“I said I’d call when we got home, which I was going to do when we had cleaned up a bit, I didn’t expect you home this early, or, maybe I just didn’t realise it was this late already.” Stiles rambled, throwing a mop to Theo who started mopping up the mud while Stiles cleaned the cupboards. 

“And the mess?” Noah queried.

“Well, I told you I was going to take Theo out, show him the sights…”

“And the sights involved a giant pile of mud?” 

“My fault sir.” Theo admitted, “I suggested going for a walk through the preserve, I forgot how clumsy he can be, he slipped down a hill into a mud pond, I tried to catch him and lost my footing myself.” 

“And the blood?” 

“Must have caught my leg on a branch or something on the way down.” Stiles shrugged casually and Noah paused, looking uncertain before nodding in agreement.

“Alright, fair enough, just, you need to be more careful Stiles.” 

“I’m always careful dad.” Stiles said, turning to the fridge and pulling out some food, “Derek, are you staying for dinner? Erica said she’d be here and Scott’s on about coming over anyway?” Stiles said, his back still to Derek which Derek was grateful for, it meant that Stiles didn’t see the surprise on his features at Stiles addressing him, didn’t notice the way his eyes lit up just the slightest bit when Stiles said his name, Noah didn’t miss it though. 

Noah felt awful for lying to Derek and the pack about Stiles and Theo dating, but, he knew it was important to them that they kept their job secret, and that meant using the fact they were dating as a cover story, still, he could see how much it was hurting Derek and he wished he could tell him the truth, tell him that Stiles wasn’t dating Theo, that, from what he could gather, Stiles didn’t have feelings for anyone, Stiles had never said it, never said how much he’d cared for Derek, but, if Noah took a guess, he’d say his son had been in love with Derek and, as of yet, hadn’t gotten over him. 

“Um, yeah, that would be good, if you don’t mind.” Derek replied and Noah smiled at him. 

“Like the entire pack aren’t already on their way over here!? Honestly, I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that I’m not going to get any peace and quiet while Stiles is here.” Noah chuckled and Stiles shook his head fondly, pulling out some ingredients and beginning to make dinner. 

“Want any help babe?” Theo said, moving behind Stiles and putting an arm around his waist, Stiles laughed, ducking out of his grip easily and pulling a knife from the drawer. 

“I’ve seen your cooking skills. I’d like to eat edible food tonight.” Stiles smirked and Theo grinned, hopping up on the counter so that he was sat next to Stiles as he cut some vegetables. “So, how was work today? Anything mysterious?” Stiles asked, Noah was spared from replying when the front door burst open and several bodies rushed through.

“Why are you bleeding?” Erica asked sounding panicked and Stiles shook his head in bemusement. 

“I said you should have used bleach, honestly, it’s like your werewolf nose is all burned out.” Stiles said to Theo who mock growled at him. 

“There’s plenty of me that’s still in perfectly good working order, which you were going to find out before we were interrupted.” He muttered quietly into Stiles’ ear, loud enough that although Noah wouldn’t be able to hear, any people in the room who had supernatural hearing would hear it clearly and Derek stared at the blush that appeared on the back of Stiles’ neck, doing his best to control the surge of jealously that ran through him. The way Theo’s gaze flicked to him and the smug smile on his face made Derek certain that he’d failed. 

“You didn’t tell us why you were bleeding!” Erica demanded, striding towards Stiles and observing him for any injuries, “What happened? How badly are you hurt?” 

“Rica, calm down, it was nothing, just a scratch.” Stiles said, leaning away from Theo to plant a soft kiss on Erica’s forehead and grinning at her, “Take it easy Catwoman.” 

“You got hurt. I don’t like it. Theo is supposed to be able to protect you.” Erica snapped and Theo’s eyes flashed golden for a moment before he took a steadying breath. 

“I fell down a hill. No big deal. He can’t protect me from my own clumsiness.” Stiles teased. 

“And you work for the CIA.” Peter muttered in dismay, “What is this country coming too?” 

“Yeah, god only knows why they thought I was fit for the job.” Stiles remarked and Peter smirked. 

“I’m sure you’ve got plenty of hidden talents.”

“One or two I guess.” Stiles replied, turning back to the food in front of him and continuing to make dinner. 

Derek managed to find a seat that was a reasonable distance away from Stiles and Theo, facing the television, so that to be able to see the two of them clearly, he’d have to turn towards them, he could avoid doing that, he could avoid seeing Stiles pressed into Theo’s side, avoid seeing Theo with a possessive arm around Stiles’ shoulder, tugging him a little closer as they ate their dinner, the pack surrounding them. Stiles jumped up as soon as he was finished eating, gathering everyone’s empty dishes and walking towards the kitchen with them, his limp barely even noticeable this time. Derek listened to the pack start quizzing Theo on his family, his home life, how he’d gotten involved with the CIA, how he’d met Stiles, all the usual questions, he could hear the splash of water in the kitchen that meant that Stiles was washing up, he moved out of his seat while everyone else was distracted with Theo and wandered into the kitchen. 

Stiles had his back to him, he was washing the dishes silently, his shoulders hunched as if he was tense, in pain, and Derek took a few steps forward, making sure to make some noise so that he didn’t startle Stiles. 

“Want a hand?” He offered and Stiles looked at him in surprise for a moment before he shrugged. 

“Sure.” Stiles agreed, indicating the dishcloth on the side that Derek could dry dishes with. They worked side-by-side in silence, Derek’s mind was racing, thinking of all the things he wanted to say but all of them sounding ridiculous before he’d even gotten the first word out of his mouth, Stiles didn’t seem bothered by his presence, and Derek relaxed as they continued working, his wolf just happy to have Stiles next to them without Theo nearby. 

“So, um, I think everyone missed you.” Derek said eventually and Stiles shook his head in bemusement, staring at the sink as if it had all the answers he wanted. 

“I can’t imagine why.” Stiles said self-depreciatingly before he took a deep breath and seemed to swallow too loudly in the silence, “What’s it like working with my dad? Please don’t tell me you spend every lunch going and buying chips and burgers? You know, just because you have a good metabolism doesn’t mean he does.” Stiles blurted out sounding almost pained with his attempt to sound normal and Derek bit his bottom lip nervously, afraid that he’d caused Stiles to react like that.

“No, Erica promised to look after him when you left and she keeps her promises. He gets very healthy food on a daily basis. Mainly salads and stuff, but, sometimes she experiments, it’s got nothing on some of the stuff you used to make according to your dad.” Derek smiled and Stiles glanced at him, stilling for a second before he nodded. 

“Good, that’s good.” Stiles agreed, he opened his mouth to say something else when Scott and Theo came into the kitchen, Scott grinning at them as he moved towards the fridge to grab a drink, Theo’s gaze lingering on Stiles possessively and Derek fought back the urge to growl, Derek had no right to Stiles, Stiles wasn’t his, he couldn’t get all defensive. 

“What are you doing in here? You’re missing twenty questions?” Theo said lightly, moving towards Stiles and pressing him against the counter.

“Aww, are you afraid of the big, bad werewolves?” Stiles laughed. 

“I’m not afraid of anything.” Theo replied, moving closer and kissing the side of Stiles’ mouth, “You know that.” 

“That’s because you have no sense of self-preservation.” Stiles commented. 

“None at all.” Theo muttered before pressing his lips to Stiles’, kissing him, one hand around the back of his neck and pulling Stiles closer, the other resting on his hip, Stiles’ hands were scrunched in the front of Theo’s t-shirt, as if he was going to push him away except he didn’t. Derek met Scott’s gaze, who was staring at the two of them in shock, before Scott shut the fridge door loudly and Derek pushed away from the counter he’d been leaning against, Stiles pushed Theo away gently, giving him a fond smile, his cheeks heating up with colour as he looked at Scott. 

“Anyway, I’m pretty beat, jetlag and all that, I think I’m going to head to bed.” Stiles said, rubbing at the back of his neck uncertainly, “Scotty? Want to hang tomorrow? Just the two of us? I’ll come over to your mom’s and we can play games and catch up?” 

“I’m working until six, but, yeah, that sounds great dude.” Scott grinned and Stiles nodded, pushing past Theo, heading into the living room to excuse himself for the night before heading upstairs. 

He was pissed, beyond pissed, he told Theo that he didn’t want to do this boyfriend thing, he’d agreed to it, reluctantly, and, even then it was on the condition that they did no more than a peck on the lips when anyone else was around. What had happened downstairs was most definitely not a peck. Stiles couldn’t have exactly pushed him off without it arousing suspicion, but, seriously, did Theo want Stiles to lose his shit and blow their cover? What the hell was he playing at?

He waited until he’d heard the pack leaving, listened to the quiet murmurs of voices that meant his dad and Theo were downstairs, he heard Theo say goodnight to his dad, waited until he entered the bedroom and then grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into the wall. 

“What the hell was that!?” Stiles hissed angrily and Theo looked at him in surprise.

“What was what?” Theo asked innocently.

“You know what! That kiss! We agreed on keeping it discreet, no big public displays of affection, do I need to teach you what the fuck that means!?” 

“Christ, Mica, relax, I had to. They weren’t buying it. I could smell it. Peter and Derek were suspicious, very suspicious, I had to make it look convincing, seems so you weren’t helping me at all, I had to do something.” 

“I wasn’t helping you!?” Stiles sputtered, “They’re not suspicious about our relationship! They’re suspicious of you! Because you’re a fucking unknown werewolf in their territory, that’s all they’re suspicious about! You shoving your tongue down my throat isn’t going to help anything and it’s really not going to help us convince them that we’re in love when I knock you out. Which I will do if you ever pull that shit again! Understand?” Stiles fumed. 

“Yeah, yes, I get it.” Theo nodded looking suitably abashed, “Sorry, I just, it was all I could think to do.”

“I meant it earlier, you seriously have no sense of self-preservation.” Stiles sighed, his anger leaving him now he understood why Theo had acted the way he did. 

“How are you feeling? Is it healing okay?” Theo asked remorsefully, knowing what Stiles was referring to, knowing that it was his fault that Stiles had been hurt earlier in the day, knowing that if Stiles hadn’t had such good reflexes they could have both died today and nobody would have known about it until they discovered the bodies days, or weeks, later and that was if they’d discovered them, they could have never been found. 

“I’ll live. I’m just exhausted.” Stiles said, sinking down into the bed and wincing slightly with pain. 

“I can help with that.” Theo muttered.

“No, I’ve told you a hundred times, I won’t do that.” 

“I know you won’t, but, you’ll heal quicker if you do.” 

“I’m fine.” Stiles said. “Let’s go to sleep, we’ve got a long few days ahead of us.” Stiles muttered, pulling back the covers and falling asleep before Theo had even climbed into the bed with him. 

Stiles woke up the next morning feeling like his leg was on fire, he hobbled to the shower, thankfully not disturbing Theo, he knew the werewolf would know that Stiles was awake soon enough, but he needed some privacy. 

By the time he got out of the shower twenty minutes later he could at least walk normally, even if his leg still ached, Theo was lying in bed still, looking wide awake, almost trembling with energy and he gave Stiles a knowing smirk.

“No need to ask what you were up to.” He teased and Stiles shook his head in exasperation.

“Obviously not.” Stiles replied, “We need to head back out into the preserve, see if we can pick up the trail.”

“After yesterday? I think we need to take a few days, heal up, recover, you’re not at one hundred percent Mica, you’re still recovering from that ‘bug’ you had, heading out now could get you hurt, seriously hurt.” 

“Yeah, well, he’s not going to wait for us to recover, he’s probably already putting his plan in motion. Besides, if you stick to the plan this time and there’s less chance that either of us get hurt.”

“Yeah, well, you should have stuck to the plan too, if you’d stuck to the plan you wouldn’t have gotten hurt…”

“You would have been dead.” Stiles retorted. “We’re going in circles here Theo, we can argue about this all day, but the fact is, I’m going back out there, if you don’t want to come fine, stay here, you’re probably better off here, at least you won’t be getting in my way.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m coming with you.” Theo said, rolling his eyes and jumping out of bed. “I’ve got all this extra energy, might as well burn it off in one way or another.” He joked. 

Derek didn’t like Theo, the past few days had only solidified that fact, he tried not to make it glaringly obvious, he didn’t want Stiles to think he hated Theo, they were actually getting on okay at the moment and if Stiles thought Derek hated his boyfriend it could put a slight dint in their recovering relationship.

Stiles had been home for six days and he hadn’t mentioned a time when he’d be leaving, Derek didn’t want to ask for fear of actually finding out when he was leaving again, he didn’t want him to leave, he wanted him to stay, even if it meant Theo being around too. Theo and Stiles spent the days together, Derek wasn’t exactly sure what they spent all day doing, only that they were gone all day and returned in the early evenings, the pack spent the evenings with them, Derek had suggested that they give Theo and Stiles some time alone with Noah, Erica had allowed them one night, but she’d been over at the Stilinski household first thing in the morning and had refused to leave since. 

It was Friday night and everyone had gathered at Noah’s house as agreed, Noah had told them they were all welcome, they usually came over on a Friday night, the younger members leaving around ten to head out to party or whatever else they felt like doing, Peter, Derek, Noah and Melissa would stay and chat until they felt like heading home, it was pretty standard for them to be there so Derek didn’t think he was ruining time for Stiles with his dad. 

Except, Stiles wasn’t home yet. He’d gone out with Theo just after breakfast and they weren’t home yet, Derek didn’t think it was that big of a deal but Noah and Erica had been exchanging worried glances all evening and Erica was obviously agitated, even to the non-werewolves in the room who couldn’t smell it, her worry was obvious, she couldn’t sit still, she was perching on the edge of the sofa and then jumping up, heading into the kitchen, wandering around slightly before sitting back down for a few moments and then repeating the whole process again and again.

“Something on your mind Erica?” Lydia smirked after an hour of everyone watching her. 

“What?” Erica replied distracted. 

“I said, is something on your mind?” Lydia repeated and Erica shrugged, getting up and looking out of the window.

“No, nope, just, you know, I thought Stiles would be back by now.” 

“They’ve probably gone to the cinema or something.” Isaac shrugged.

“Or they’re just enjoying some quality alone time together, seems so Erica has been hovering every second she can.” Scott laughed and Allison shook her head in bemusement, Derek tried not to think that Stiles was probably having sex with Theo right now. 

“Yeah, yeah, probably.” Erica muttered. 

“Still, I would have thought they’d be home by now. I’m sure Stiles said they’d be back for dinner.” Peter commented and Noah nodded.

“Yeah, yeah he did, he just probably forgot the time, you know what he’s like.” Noah said, he was chewing on his fingernail nervously and his knee was tapping rapidly, his gaze darting to the windows on a regular basis.

“Alright, is there something you two aren’t telling us?” Melissa queried and Noah looked at her in astonishment before shaking his head rapidly.

“No, no, of course not, just, you know, a father worries.” 

“So does his best friend evidently.” Lydia suggested and Erica flashed her eyes at her, she looked like she was about to reply when she was interrupted by her phone ringing, Derek was almost certain it was Stiles except instead of Erica relaxing her heart rate rocketed and he could smell the panic flooding off her. 

“Stiles?” Erica answered sounding worried. 

“Theo.” Theo said sounding pained.

“What’s wrong? Where is he?” Erica said sounding terrified and Derek couldn’t help but feel the terror rising in his own chest, what the hell had Erica so worried? What the hell was going on? 

“Need help.” Theo said. 

“Where are you?” Erica said, ignoring the way the entire pack had gone silent around her, all of them listening to the conversation apart from Noah who was grabbing his keys and moving towards the door, Erica following after him.

“What the hell is going on!?” Derek shouted, running after Erica and Noah who were already in the cruiser and driving off, he growled dangerously, running to his own car and jumping in, the rest of the pack flooding out of the house and diving into the available cars, Derek wasn’t bothered about that though, he was bothered about keeping up with Noah, about making sure that Stiles was okay, he didn’t know why Theo had called off Stiles’ phone, didn’t know what Theo meant by needing help, but, he was terrified by the reaction it had caused in Erica and Noah and he knew that meant it must be bad. 

They drove out of town, Noah’s sirens blaring, Derek’s tyres squealing as he raced after him, out towards the preserve, down an old dirt track that Derek wouldn’t have known was there if he wasn’t racing after Noah, they came to a stop in a small clearing, the SUV that Theo and Stiles had been driving was parked there. One of the doors looked like it had been ripped from the hinges, the windows were smashed as if someone had been thrown into them and there were claw marks running across the bonnet, Theo was sat in the clearing, stripped to his boxers, cradling an also almost naked Stiles, who was lying on the floor, blood covering his bare chest that looked to be barely moving.

“Mica!” Erica screamed, diving out of the car and practically throwing herself on top of Stiles, “Mica! Sweetie! Look at me! Come on baby! Come on Mica!” Erica pleaded, Derek was stunned, he didn’t know what was going on, all he could see was Stiles lying pale in the half light, the blood coating his chest, Derek’s pulse was pounding so loudly in his own ears that he couldn’t even tell if Stiles’ heart was beating. 

“Oh god!” Noah breathed, raw agony in those few syllables, it was enough to snap Derek out of his shock and he moved forwards, rushing to Erica’s side and falling to his knees next to Stiles as the rest of the pack arrived, all of them staring at the scene in front of them in shock. “Is he breathing?” Noah whispered in terror.

“I gave him as much as I could, but, he’s bleeding out, I can’t…” Theo mumbled. 

“Move! Move!” Melissa called, shoving the rest of them aside in order to get to Stiles and assess his injuries, applying pressure to the worst of them, trying to stop the flow of blood, “Scott, call an ambulance!”

“No, no, you can’t.” Theo whispered in pain.

“Mica! Stay with me, come on, we’ve got this baby, come on.” Erica said desperately, standing up and pulling off her jacket, quickly followed by the rest of her clothes until she was left in her underwear before moving back to Stiles, almost pushing Melissa out of the way.

“What are you doing!?” Peter said, “We need to call an ambulance!” 

“Mica, come on, you can do this, come on.” Erica said, straddling Stiles, leaning forwards until they were pressed together, skin on skin as much as possible and then she did the unthinkable, she kissed Stiles, her hands on either side of his face, clutching at him desperately, as if the kiss would somehow fix all the damage he’d suffered.

Derek wasn’t sure what Erica thought that was going to achieve, and, if his heart wasn’t breaking at the sight of Stiles being hurt so badly, he would maybe think about Boyd, about how the man was handling the fact that his girlfriend was kissing another man. A second later all his thoughts stilled, red lines appeared across Erica’s body and face, similar to what it looked like when the wolves drew pain from others, Erica went pale, like she was on the verge of passing out, the lines appeared on Stiles’ skin next and Derek watched with a stunned fascination as the wounds on Stiles’ chest healed the slightest bit before Erica suddenly collapsed on top of Stiles, falling slightly to the side as she passed out, Boyd rushed to her and caught her before she hit the floor, shaking her gently and letting out a sigh of relief when she stirred slightly. 

“Did it work? Mica?” She slurred sounding exhausted. 

“He’s okay.” Theo muttered, sounding just as worn out. 

“Okay!? Are you kidding me!? He’s barely breathing, he’s lost god knows how much blood, you told us this was a simple job!” Noah shouted, practically shoving Theo out of the way in order to get to Stiles, “Mica? Can you hear me? Kiddo, wake up, please, wake up.” 

“Job!? What are you talking about? What the fuck is going on?” Scott shouted. 

“Later Scott, we need to get him home.” Noah snapped, shifting slightly so that he could almost pick Stiles up, Stiles groaned slightly, his eyes fluttering open just the slightest bit and Noah almost collapsed in relief, “Mica! Oh thank god! You’re okay, I’ve got you, you’re okay, you’re alright, you’re okay.” Noah reassured him. 

“M’fine.” Stiles muttered before promptly passing out again and Noah let out a hysterical chuckle, running a hand through Stiles’ hair and nodding in agreement.

“Yeah kiddo, you’re going to be fine, you’re going to be alright.” 

Erica leaned against Boyd who had wrapped his jacket around her, mainly to hide the blood that covered her body rather than to keep her warm, she still looked pale, shaky even, but she was at least awake, a hand reaching out to touch Stiles’ thigh, reassure herself that he was okay. Theo was sat on Stiles’ other side, also covered in Stiles’ blood and looking pale, but he didn’t look nearly as shaky as Erica did, Derek studied Stiles, now that the panic had subsided slightly he took his time to study him, observe the changes in his body since he’d last seen it like this, the morning Stiles had been lying in Derek’s bed, sleeping peacefully. Stiles had scars, more than he had then, some small, some big, some shallow, some deep, some that looked like bullet wounds, others that looked like knife wounds, some that looked like claw marks, in fact, any scar that you could think of seemed to litter Stiles’ body in one place or another. Stiles also had tattoos, Derek couldn’t see all of them clearly, they started at his hips, sweeping up his sides and towards his back, they appeared on his arms and partially on his collarbones, they were spirals interspersed with different intricate drawings and Derek had no idea what they were supposed to mean. The cuts on Stiles’ chest had healed enough that they were scabbing over, bleeding the slightest bit when Stiles breathed but no longer the deadly wounds that had been killing him, and Derek didn’t understand that either, there was so much he didn’t understand and he needed an explanation before he’d ever be able to let Stiles out of his sight.

“Here, let me help.” Theo offered when Noah tried to lift Stiles, he looked unsteady though and Noah almost growled at him when he offered. 

“I’ve got him.” Derek said, ignoring Theo when he glared at him. “Can you get the door?” He said, scooping Stiles up into his arms easily, it felt natural, wrong that Stiles was unconscious and hurt, but, his weight felt right in Derek’s arms, even if Stiles had definitely gained muscle since the last time he’d had him in his arms. Noah slid into the back seat with Stiles, resting his head on his lap and running his fingers through Stiles’ hair, whispering reassurances to the unconscious Stiles, Derek closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of Stiles’ heart beat thudding steadily in his chest and his wolf settled slightly, Stiles was alive, he was okay. 

He turned back towards Theo who was gathering the clothes that were strewn on the floor where Stiles had been lying, pulling his jeans back on and grabbing a t-shirt, the rest of the pack were standing around stunned, all of them incredibly confused as to what was happening, other than Erica who barely seemed strong enough to stand, it was only Boyd’s solid presence at her side, an arm around her waist, that seemed to be keeping her upright. Derek wasn’t sure what the hell she had done, but, he was eternally grateful, Erica had saved Stiles’ life, he just wished he knew how, well, he was going to find out, he wouldn’t rest until he knew what the fuck was going on. 

“Did you do this to him?” Derek growled, it was the only conclusion that made sense, Theo had attacked Stiles for some reason, where else could the claw marks possibly had come from? The only thing he couldn’t figure out was why Theo had called Erica asking for help. 

“No! Don’t be ridiculous!” Theo snarled, moving to push past Derek, his eyes flashing gold when Derek placed a hand on his chest to stop him. 

“You’re not going anywhere until I know you’re no threat to him.” Derek growled dangerously, Theo’s claws came out and Derek prepared himself for a fight, he knew he would beat Theo easily, the wolf was obviously weakened, and even if he wasn’t, Derek was an Alpha, he could take him out easily, his own eyes flashed red and the entire pack seemed to tense, as if they knew what was about to happen. 

“Theo didn’t hurt him.” Erica said weakly, sounding like it was costing everything she had to say it, “I’ll tell you everything Derek, I will, I swear, but I need to rest, so does Theo and Stiles. Let us sleep and then I’ll tell you everything, please?” 

Derek wasn’t sure whether to believe Erica or not, she’d obviously been keeping something from them, Derek had never seen a werewolf heal somebody else before, yeah, sure, he’d seen them drain pain, but, physically heal them? No. It was unheard of. So, he knew she’d kept this from them, along with whatever else, he’d assumed that once they’d found out about Stiles’ job that would be an end to the secrets, but, it obviously wasn’t. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists before finally nodding tightly, backing off so that Theo could move past him and Erica sighed in relief, her eyes dropping closed and Boyd scooping her up into his arms so she could sleep peacefully. 

The drive back to the house was silent, Derek drove the cruiser back, refusing to allow Stiles out of his sight, at least until he woke up properly, until he told Derek for certain that it wasn’t Theo that had done this. Theo sat in the passenger seat, turned around in his seat and staring at Stiles with a guilty expression on his face, it didn’t do anything to help Derek believe Erica had been telling the truth, Theo had had something to do with Stiles getting hurt, he was certain of it. Noah didn’t seem to be aware of either of them, he was continually touching Stiles in one way or another, muttering reassurances under his breath, telling Stiles that it was all going to be okay, that he was going to be okay. 

Derek carried Stiles easily into the kitchen, laying him down on the table so that Melissa could examine his injuries properly, Erica and Theo were both hovering nearby, Erica still looked on the verge of passing out again and Derek knew she needed to rest. 

“Boyd, can you help Erica get cleaned up and then get her to bed, she needs to sleep.” Derek said and Boyd nodded, Erica looked ready to argue but Boyd glared at her and she nodded silently, turning and heading up the stairs without another word, it was obvious that Boyd hadn’t known about Erica’s ability to heal either and he really wasn’t happy about her keeping it from him.

“I’ll go get some clean clothes.” Theo muttered a few moments later and Derek nodded, not looking away from Stiles as the other wolf dashed up the stairs and out of sight. 

“How bad is it?” Noah whispered as Melissa examined Stiles. 

“Theo was right, he’ll live, I don’t know what Erica did, but, she saved his life.” Melissa explained, after cleaning the drying blood off his chest it was obvious that Stiles had suffered severe trauma, there were four claw marks across his chest, the surrounding skin was black and blue with bruises and there were more bruises at his side, when Melissa rolled him over there was a large bruise down his spine and smaller cuts that looked to be from glass. The claw marks weren’t as deep as they had been, the fact that they were scabbing over slightly was evidence of that, but, Derek knew that Stiles would be in pain for weeks as he healed. “He’s got a couple of broken ribs, bruising on his spine suggesting he hit something hard with some level of force and he’s got a couple of lumps on his head, probably a concussion when he wakes up, but, the claw marks, the main trauma, Erica healed them almost perfectly, they’ll probably scar, but, evidently Stiles isn’t going to be bothered by a few more scars.” Melissa said, levelling her gaze at Noah.

“Thank you.” Noah said sincerely and Melissa shook her head.

“I didn’t do anything.” She snapped, “I don’t know what the hell happened tonight Noah, but I’m not going anywhere until I get an explanation, for tonight, for these scars, because they didn’t all come from being in the CIA, I know that much even if I know nothing else.” She said folding her arms across her chest. 

“Yeah, fair enough.” Noah agreed, his eyes still on Stiles, “Like Erica said, can we all just sleep? I’ll tell you what I know in the morning.” 

“Fine.” Melissa replied through gritted teeth, still looking furious, “Derek? Would you be able to take Stiles up to bed?” 

“He’ll heal quicker with people around him.” Noah muttered and Derek turned to stare at the older man, “And,” Noah continued, looking mortified, “skin-on-skin would be better.” 

“What? Like you want us to strip off and that’ll help him get better?” Scott quizzed and Noah blushed slightly. 

“You don’t need to strip, but, if, Stiles will heal quicker if there’s skin-on-skin contact, so, if you could just, um, touch some part of him while he’s sleeping, that’ll help him.” Noah muttered, obviously embarrassed. 

“Is this one of the things that you’re going to explain in the morning?” Melissa scolded and Noah nodded quickly. 

“Yes, yeah I will, I promise, just, for now, could you just, do you mind if you sort of put Stiles in the middle of one of your puppy piles?” Noah asked and Derek nodded firmly, he was happy with that, it would mean that Stiles would be safe, that anyone who wanted to get at him was going to have to go through the entire pack to get at him, Derek wasn’t sure how it would help Stiles heal, but, it was another of those things that they would have to discuss in the morning. Theo reappeared on the stairs a few minutes later, he’d obviously showered, washing off Stiles’ blood and was standing at the bottom of the stairs in a pair of low hung jogging bottoms, looking uncertain. 

“I heard what you said.” Theo explained, “I’m going to stay with him, I know I’m not part of your pack, but, Stiles is my pack, so, I’m staying next to him, until he wakes up.” Derek wanted to tell him to go to hell, but, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to scare him away and he didn’t want to kill him, not when Stiles was in love with him, Stiles would never forgive him. He nodded tightly, knowing that none of the pack were happy about it but fighting Theo wasn’t going to help anything right now, Stiles had to be the priority. Erica and Boyd reappeared down the stairs, Erica still looking pale but at least she didn’t look like she was about to collapse, she headed for the kitchen and reached out to tangle her fingers in Stiles’. 

“Mica?” She whispered quietly sounding tearful. “Please wake up.” There was nothing but the slight inhale and exhale of Stiles breathing before his heart rate sped up just the slightest bit and Stiles’ eyes flickered open. 

“Stiles! Oh thank god!” Scott called in relief moving towards him and touching Stiles’ shoulder, “Are you okay? How are you feeling?” 

“M’fine.” Stiles groaned, trying to sit up and gasping in pain, it felt like something had crushed his chest, but, he was alive, that was what mattered. “Theo?” He asked, his voice slurred with exhaustion and pain, Theo moved quickly, making sure that he was in Stiles’ eyeline.

“I’m fine Mica, totally fine.” Theo reassured him and Stiles nodded before planting his feet on the floor and standing, he was swaying on the spot, looking ready to pass out and holding a hand to his ribs, evidently in pain.

“M’gonngot’bed.” He mumbled, his eyes already closed, he took a step forwards and almost fell, Derek grabbing his arm the only thing keeping him upright, Stiles barely opening his eyes enough to even look at Derek. 

“Come on, you’re staying with us tonight.” Derek said, steering Stiles towards the living room, not caring about the fact Stiles was still dressed only in his boxers, only thinking about Stiles nearly dying, worrying about the fact that he was still healing, that his injuries looked like they could be re-opened with the slightest misstep. 

“Don’t need…” Stiles started but shut up quickly, his chest throbbing with pain, every breath hurt and he grimaced, he was exhausted, he needed to sleep this off. He tried to move towards the stairs but felt his vision waver, “Alright.” He agreed, not bothering to argue with Derek, knowing he didn’t have enough strength to get up the stairs. 

“Here, I’ve got him.” Theo said, Derek fought back the jealously he felt, releasing his hold on Stiles and allowing Theo to wrap an arm around his waist. “Hey buddy, I’ve got you, you’re okay.” Theo said, lowering Stiles gently to the floor and then curling up behind him, effectively spooning Stiles, his bare chest pressed along the length of Stiles’ back, Stiles sighed, relaxing against him and Derek gritted his teeth before lowering himself to the floor on the opposite side of Stiles, reaching out and placing a hand on Stiles’ side, the rest of the pack following his lead and all of them touching Stiles in one place or another, Derek met Theo’s eyes for a moment, tamping down his jealously, Stiles was the priority, helping him heal, whatever the hell that meant, that had to be the priority right now.

Derek woke up several hours later, he wasn’t sure what had disturbed him, he looked across, expecting to see Theo still holding tightly to Stiles, instead Stiles was curled up against Derek’s chest, Derek’s arms wrapped around him, the rest of the pack were gathered around them. Theo still had an arm wrapped tightly around Stiles’ waist but other than that he was barely touching Stiles, pushed away by the rest of the pack, Derek shifted slightly, manoeuvring himself so that he could slip his shirt off, if Noah was correct and Stiles needed contact with skin then Derek was going to make sure he got it, and, if he wanted to annoy Theo just a little bit, well, Derek wasn’t going to deny that he was that petty.

He snuggled a little closer to Stiles, making sure that he got as much skin pressed against Stiles as possible, Stiles’ cheek practically squashed against his chest, trying not to feel smug that Stiles had moved closer to him in his sleep, sure he knew that Stiles wasn’t awake enough to know what he was doing, but, still, Derek felt like it was a small victory, and it was easy for him to slip back into sleep. 

Stiles stirred slowly, his chest ached but he could at least breath, he was surrounded by heat, his face pressed into someone’s chest, hands resting on his legs, arms, back, hips, he took a few shallow breaths, using the time to try and assess what had happened. He remembered the fight, remembered getting hurt, the pain had been agonising, he was going to die, he was certain of it, he’d looked at Theo, saw the terror in his features when he realised that he couldn’t save Stiles, recalled Erica’s voice screaming at him, pleading with him, remembered his dad’s voice telling him he was going to be okay, he knew he’d tried to go to bed, that he hadn’t had the strength to get upstairs, Derek had told him that Stiles was staying with them, he figured that was where he was now, in the middle of a puppy pile. 

He tried to figure out what they knew and what they didn’t, they must know some of what had happened, he couldn’t imagine any of the pack just letting it slide that Stiles was almost gutted, they’ve had demanded some kind of answer, but, until he could speak to Erica and his dad, he had no idea how much they really knew. 

“Stiles? You okay?” The chest under his face rumbled and he felt a blush on his cheeks when he realised he was practically lying on a bare-chested Derek, he pulled away quickly, wincing slightly when the healing injuries stretched and pulled, he looked down at his chest, the claw marks that had been going to kill him had almost completely scabbed over, he couldn’t make sense of it, how was he not dead? The pack had woken with his movement and they were all looking at him in worry, as if he was about to flip out and start shouting at them, Stiles traced the marks with his fingertips, looking to Theo, there was no way he’d have been able to pull Stiles back from the brink of death, not if he was still breathing, no, it would take more than that. 

“How am I alive?” He whispered, his voice cracking slightly with exhaustion, his eyes moving from Theo to Erica who flushed guiltily and refused to meet his eyes. “Jesus Christ Rica! We’re having words later!” He huffed in anger and fear, Erica could have died, she could have died and it would have been Stiles’ fault. He grimaced, getting to his feet and feeling his whole body throb with pain, he needed an energy boost and he needed it now. 

“Later? How about right now?” Boyd replied coolly, “How about you tell us what happened out there? How about you tell us everything that you’ve been hiding from us and that nearly got you killed last night?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking…” Stiles began, shutting up when almost the entire room growled at him. 

“Mica I promised to tell them everything.” Erica whispered shamefully and Stiles looked at her in annoyance. 

“Why do you keep calling him that? Why Mica? What’s it mean?” Scott asked and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Okay, sure, let me grab a shower and then we can talk about everything.” Stiles said, wincing as he moved towards the stairs, knowing every eye was on the bruises, scars and tattoos that littered his body, and that, dressed only in his boxers, he had no way to stop their stares. 

“Do you need some time alone?” Erica asked and Stiles shrugged, if they were going to tell the pack everything then there was no point in attempting to keep anything from them.

“It’s fine, can’t exactly kick them all out, can I?” Stiles replied, walking up the stairs, each step felt like an extraordinary effort, he was exhausted and he hurt and he just wanted to sleep, still, if he could get some privacy he could probably resolve at least some of the issues. 

“Kick us out? What are you talking about?” Lydia asked confused and annoyed, as if she couldn’t believe Stiles would even contemplate kicking them out.

“Nothing, look, just, in a few minutes, you’re going to feel, um, you’ll feel a lot more awake than you do right now, we’ll talk when I come back downstairs, I’ll explain things to you then.” Stiles offered. 

“Fine. But, hurry up. There’s too much that we don’t understand right now and none of us like it.” Allison said and Stiles gave her a mock salute before hurrying up the stairs as quickly as he could. He started the water running in the shower before he turned to observe himself in the mirror, there were still faint smudges of blood on his chest that hadn’t been wiped away properly, but, the claw marks were healing nicely, the bruises had gone a wicked looking black and he knew that they were causing most of the pain he was feeling, he stripped and climbed into the shower, trying not to groan with pain when the warm water touched his injuries. 

“Fuck’s sake.” He muttered, closing his eyes, trying to forget about the pack of werewolves that were downstairs and no doubt listening to his every movement, he prayed that they’d tune out when they realised what he was doing, he really didn’t need to face any more embarrassment today, waking up with his face on Derek’s chest was already pretty humiliating. 

He moved his hand down, slowly stroking his cock, keeping his eyes closed, thinking instead about his favourite fantasy, of a tall, dark haired man, his face was never visible, Stiles wouldn’t allow himself to think of Derek like this, but, if his fantasy figure shared similar features he wasn’t going to complain, broad shoulders and warm hands that pressed him into the mattress, stubble along his jaw that felt rough against Stiles’ sensitive skin as he nipped and licked and sucked at his neck, his cock was hard by now, his heart beginning to race, he rested his other hand against the wall of the shower, using it to keep himself upright, imagining the mysterious figure of his fantasy coming behind him in the shower, reaching around and stroking Stiles’ cock in his own hands, his breath hot on his neck, his mouth brushing against it, stubble scratching his skin, Stiles was close, god he was so close already, he’d only had the opportunity to do this once since he’d been home and his cock had responded eagerly to his touch after almost a week of neglect. His imaginary friend ran his other hand up Stiles’ chest, brushing teasingly over his nipple as he bit down on Stiles’ neck, marking his pulse point and it was enough to send Stiles over the edge. 

“Fuck.” He groaned under his breath, his legs shaking and nearly giving out as he climaxed, as a flood of energy coursed through his veins, his skin itching irritatingly as it healed, as the bruises faded to a soft yellow, almost healed, the claw marks had scabbed over properly, bits of the scabs falling off and showing fresh skin beneath them, his back no longer throbbing painfully, in fact, it felt a thousand times better, it wasn’t perfect, but, it was a hell of a lot better than Stiles had been feeling. 

He finished his shower quickly, scrubbing off any remaining blood and dirt, throwing on some clothes that hid the reminders of what he had suffered through in the past few years, and headed back downstairs. 

“What the fuck was that!?” Derek growled as soon as Stiles appeared, the Alpha looked hyped up, his eyes were glowing red and he had the same look in his eyes that he’d had the night that they’d had sex, when Derek had stormed across the room and kissed Stiles like it was the only thing he’d ever wanted to do. Stiles tried not to think about that, because on the few occasions that he thought about that night, he always recalled the look of hatred and disgust on Derek’s face the morning after, he hated that he could picture it perfectly, hated that when he closed his eyes it was that image that haunted his dreams, in amongst a million other things. 

“What?” Stiles queried, heading down the stairs, his gaze flickering to Theo and Erica who were both looking refreshed and back to their normal selves. “You guys okay?”

“Yeah, fine, thanks.” Theo said and Erica nodded, shooting Stiles a quick grin. 

“Anybody want to tell me why it feels like I’m about to burst out of my skin? Is it something to do with how Erica healed Stiles?” Isaac asked sounding worried. 

“I didn’t heal Stiles.” Erica interrupted and they all turned to look at her in astonishment. 

“Yes, you did. We saw it. You kissed him and it somehow started the healing process. You saved his life.” Peter confirmed 

“Okay, yes I kissed him and yes that started the healing process but I didn’t heal him.” Erica said. 

“What the hell are you talking about!? How else did he fucking heal? He didn’t do it himself! And what’s with all the scars? You didn’t get all of them working for the CIA! Some of them were definitely claw marks!? And how are you walking around now like you’re okay when you could barely get up the stairs fifteen minutes ago? And why…” Scott quizzed until Stiles sighed heavily and held up his hand.

“I get you’re confused, and I’m going to answer all your questions, I will. But, I think it’s probably best to start from the beginning.” Stiles said.

“The beginning? Which is when? When you graduated from your training? When you met Theo? When you came back to town? Last night? When exactly is the beginning Stiles!?” Lydia snapped and Stiles moved to the sofa, sitting down and rubbing a hand over his eyes. 

“The beginning is when we tried to contain the kanima in the club.” Stiles said, Erica moving to sit next to him, and resting a hand on his leg, Stiles shooting her a small smile, the rest of the pack following her lead and settling into the seats, knowing they were in for a long story. 

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Scott asked.

“Alright, so, I should tell you, I don’t work for the CIA, or, well, not strictly just with the CIA, I also work for the FBI, NSA, MI5, Secret Service, CNI, pretty much if there’s an intelligence agency in the world, I’ve worked with them at one point or another.” Stiles admitted. 

“I don’t understand…” Scott said cluelessly and Stiles sighed, he wasn’t even sure where to begin. 

“Alright, so, do you remember that night, at the club, Deaton told me to believe and that the mountain ash would be able to trap Jackson in there?” 

“Yeah, he said you had to be ‘the spark’ or something.” Boyd replied while Scott just looked at him blankly. 

“Yeah, exactly, so, um, after that, when the Alpha pack had you, I was researching them, you know, what I could find out, how to find them, what they might want, you know, the usual, and, I um, I sort of stumbled across something else, kind of, a college of sorts, there was like a puzzle that you had to solve, and, if you could solve it, you were taken to this other page and there was more puzzles and more tests and, you guys know what my brain is like, I just kept messing around until I managed to focus back on the original task.” He explained, the pack listening raptly, “A few days letter I got a package through the post, an acceptance letter, telling me that I’d passed the test and that they wanted me to attend their campus, learn everything they could teach me, and, it sounded great. I put it off, you know, I wanted to find Erica and Boyd, and then there was Ms Blake and the sacrifices and then the Nogitsune, and, after that, I didn’t want to put it off any longer, you guys didn’t need me around, and, I needed to get away for a bit.” 

“So, you didn’t go join the CIA training?” Kira asked for clarification and Stiles shook his head.

“No. I, um, it was kind of like college, but, um, they try to stay as under the radar as possible, so, my time there was, it wasn’t like I could have invited you guys to come visit or whatever, I knew that if I went I wouldn’t be seeing you guys until I graduated, we didn’t get breaks in the way normal colleges do, and, I took on a lot, because I wanted to graduate quicker, but, it wasn’t like a normal graduation, like, everyone graduates when they feel like you’re ready, not like, it’s not like you have to pass a certain level of courses or whatever, like, it’s not a pass or fail, you just do as best you can, and even after you graduate, you still learn things, it never stops, like, I’m still learning things now, like, so, it’s not courses like that, but, fuck, I’m sorry, this isn’t making sense.” Stiles said, running a hand through his hair nervously. 

“Just, how can you graduate but not have courses to pass?” Allison said in confusion. 

“He went to Hogwarts.” Erica said simply and the pack looked at her stunned, like she’d lost her mind. “Okay, not Hogwarts specifically, but, um, you remember how Jackson’s Alpha got a visit from the council, warned him that the nogitsune survivor was under their protection?” 

“Yeah, but, what’s that…” Derek started his voice trailing off when realisation washed over him, “You joined the fucking council!?” He shouted, jumping up from his seat and glaring at Stiles, “Jesus Christ! Do you have any idea what they’re capable of!? And you joined them!? Do you have a death wish or something? What the fuck were you thinking Stiles!?” He screamed furiously and Stiles glared at him.

“I was thinking that I was fed up of being a liability!” Stiles snapped in reply and Derek paled, looking physically sick for a moment before Stiles sighed, “Look, it’s not, they’re not what you think they are, they do good things, they help people, save people…”

“How did you even get in? Don’t you have to be like a supernatural being or something to work with them?” Peter asked in astonishment. 

“Yeah, well, about that, Deaton was kind of right, about, being ‘the spark’, and, well, Erica was telling the truth, she didn’t heal me, I used her life force to heal myself.” He muttered and there was a ringing silence as everyone stared at him like he’d completely lost his mind. 

“Life force?” Boyd asked, looking at Erica with worry. “To heal yourself?” Stiles nodded, “But, you’re okay? Aren’t you? It hasn’t hurt you? You won’t die sooner or something like that?” Boyd asked panicked and Erica smiled softly at him, adoration in her eyes.

“No, of course not, I was weaker, exhausted, it would have taken me a few days to recover, except, then Stiles did his mojo and I feel fine, all better.” Erica smiled.

“Except it could have killed her.” Stiles chastised. 

“How?” Melissa asked.

“It’s, I don’t use it, not ever, except, when I’m unconscious, I don’t have any control over it, my, um, my magic, it reaches out, it’ll draw the life force from whoever is touching me, until I heal, or, they break contact, or, well, thankfully I’ve not actually had anyone die yet, but, you know, it could happen, I think, which is why I was so pissed at Erica, because I told her she was never allowed to do that, not under any circumstances.” Stiles rambled.

“Wait, wait, just, back up a second, you can suck the life out of people?” Scott asked and Stiles nodded.

“I mean, yeah, to put it simply, yeah, but like, I don’t use it.” He insisted, “What happened last night, I don’t drain people, I mean, not while I’m conscious, and I don’t like people doing it when I’m unconscious, but, you know, I don’t have any say in the matter because I’m unconscious and you know, usually maybe dying or at least seriously injured, so, it’s not, you know, I don’t use it willingly.” 

“So, you have magic and you can heal yourself by draining other peoples energy?” Lydia confirmed.

“He can do a hell of a lot more than that.” Theo said proudly and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Like what?” Cora whispered in fascination.

“Nothing much.” Stiles replied dismissively.

“Don’t be modest Mica!” Erica said and Stiles shrugged, mumbling he wasn’t being modest while Erica ignored him.

“Mica? What does that mean? Is it a codename or something?” Peter asked and Erica laughed.

“No, well, not really.” Stiles replied, “It’s, we kind of came up with a system, you know, if it was safe to talk and if it wasn’t, if my dad or Erica were alone then they called me Mica, if you guys were around and we couldn’t talk about what was really going on, then they said Stiles, it worked, you guys weren’t any the wiser, and, even if you did somehow overhear, it would just be like a weird nickname or something.” 

“But what does it actually mean?” Peter repeated.

“It’s um, it’s my name, or, my nickname, what my mom used to call me, I couldn’t exactly pronounce my first name when I was younger and I didn’t start calling myself Stiles until I was a bit older, so, Mica was my mom’s nickname for me.” He replied quietly. 

“Mica? What’s it short for?” Kira asked.

“Something that is very hard to pronounce so we’re not going to discuss it.” Stiles said and Erica knocked their shoulders together giving him a grin which Stiles just shook his head at. 

“Anyway, point being, Stiles is good, he’s really good, most people take about ten years before the council agrees they’re ready for the real world, Stiles did it in eighteen months. He worked his ass off, took every course they had available, learned everything they could possibly teach him and he was the youngest graduate they’ve ever had, not to mention the fact that most of the students that attend already know they have magic or supernatural abilities from a young age and had been training. Stiles didn’t have any of those advantages. The fact he’s already accomplished so much is a testament to his skills.” Erica beamed and Stiles blushed. 

“I haven’t really accomplished that much, just, helped out when people needed it.”

“So, you weren’t really tracking child traffickers or threats to national security or anything like that?” Melissa asked in confusion.

“Not really, more like ogres, giants, trolls, djinn, the odd rogue werewolf, vampires, kelpies, a few ghosts, I mean there were the casters that were smuggling children, but, you know, that wasn’t quite the same thing.” Stiles admitted sheepishly. 

“The bomb the other week?” Derek asked, his mind catching up and not liking what he was beginning to realise. 

“Harpy.” Stiles supplied, “Nasty little fuckers, nearly brought the building down on us.” 

“And Steph? It wasn’t a car accident?” Malia asked, Stiles tensed up, any good humour gone, grief filling his features before he cleared his throat and shook his head. 

“No.” He replied tightly.

“A demon.” Theo informed them, “Mica got thrown through a wall, he was out of it, without him, the plan went to hell, Steph was a coyote, she didn’t have any magical abilities, she was the faster of the two of us, she told me to get to him, to get him out, I saw the demon rip her heart out, I couldn’t stop him. I grabbed Mica and I ran, when he woke up, I told him what I’d seen. We went back a few days later when he’d recovered, managed to send that thing back to Hell, make it pay for Steph and all the others before her.” 

“I’m sorry.” Scott whispered looking pained, “Sorry you had to lose her.” 

“It happens. Part of the job.” Stiles said quietly but it was obvious that Steph’s death still affected him greatly. 

“So, if you’re the youngest graduate the council has ever had, what about Theo? You were in our year at school. Did you graduate after Stiles?” Lydia queried.

“No. I’m, um, technically, I’m not a member of the council.” 

“What? But, you work together? How can you not be a council member?” Boyd asked.

“Well, you see, I was in Germany, tracking an incubus that had killed several people already, I didn’t know the council were already aware and had sent somebody to handle it.”

“My partner never showed up, so, I started in on the case by myself.” Stiles interrupted and Theo grinned. 

“So, there am I in this club, trying to figure out which idiot is going to be the next one to fall for its charms when I catch sight of this lunatic, he’s dancing and drinking and generally making sure every eye in the vicinity was on him, I smelled the incubus closing in, I thought I’d put it off its next meal because it had obviously set its sights on him, so I went across, trying to chat Mica up, distract him, keep the incubus away.” Theo grinned fondly at the memory.

“Whatever, you didn’t know where the incubus was!” Stiles joked. 

“I did too! Point being, he recognises me instantly, starts telling me about how we used to go to school together back in the states and what did I get up to and what are the chances and blah bah blah, and the entire time I’m scouting the area, trying to figure out who the incubus is. I finally convince him to go home and sleep off the hangover…”

“I wasn’t drunk, I’d just made it look like I was…”

“Your breath stank of booze…”

“Because I had one drink to look like I was drunk…”

“Bullshit! Anyway, he stumbles off to go home, or so I think, and I continue tracking the incubus, I’m almost certain I’ve tracked its scent to the park nearby, I wait in the trees, waiting for it to reveal itself, and, instead, I get hit in the back of the head by this idiot, he knocks me out and when I come to, it’s to see him disposing of the body.” 

“You knocked him out? Using what?” Malia asked in astonishment. 

“My bat, with, maybe, a little magical persuasion.” Stiles admitted sheepishly. 

“So, then what happened?” Kira asked looking smitten.

“Not much, we realised that we both knew about the incubus, both in the know about the supernatural, that he was a werewolf and I was a member of the council, we exchanged numbers, agreed to help each other out in the future if necessary, and, then, we just kept bumping into each other. The council sent Steph out to replace my original partner who had run afoul of some trolls and that’s why he never showed up, and, when she, when she was killed, Theo and I decided to stick together, we’d already worked together, we knew each other’s flaws, strengths, how we worked together, it made sense. I told the council I was going to have Theo as my partner and they weren’t happy about it, but, they kind of let me get away with a lot because I’m apparently pretty powerful or something.” Stiles explained. 

“And then you fell in love and started dating! Oh my gosh, that’s so romantic!” Allison grinned and Stiles blushed.

“Yeah, about that, we’re not actually dating.” He said, feeling the weight in his stomach disappear as he told the truth about that particular lie, “We used it as a cover, Theo knew there would be questions about why he was here and not spending his time off with his own friends and stuff, so, we agreed to pretend to date until we’d dealt with things here.”

“So, wait, just, the two of you, you’re not dating!?” Derek said, out of all the things Stiles had said tonight this was the first one that actually made him feel relieved, if Stiles wasn’t dating Theo then he stood a chance, he could just tell him the truth and they could make this work maybe, if Stiles would ever forgive him for the lies he’d told. 

“Nope.” Stiles replied easily, Derek thought back to all the romantic gestures he’d witnessed since Stiles and Theo had returned to Beacon Hills, how Theo had initiated every touch and kiss, how Stiles had made some kind of excuse moments later to get away from him, how Theo had smelled of sexual frustration on several occasions, Derek had thought at the time that it was just because Stiles didn’t feel comfortable doing anything here while Erica was in the house, which he was really fucking thankful for, Stiles and Theo smelling of sex as well as each other would have drove him insane, but, it was more than that, Theo wanted Stiles, the feelings evidently weren’t reciprocated and Derek couldn’t help but feel hopeful.

“But, you share a bed and you’ve kissed and stuff?” Scott asked.

“Plus, we never picked up on a lie, surely we should have heard your heart rates change?” Peter added and Theo and Stiles glanced at each other.

“I’m a naturally good liar.” Theo smirked, “And Stiles, he went through a lot of training to make sure he could keep his heart steady in any situation if necessary.” 

“So you can lie to us?” Malia raised an eyebrow and Stiles shrugged. 

“Yeah, I don’t enjoy doing it, but, yeah, lying is pretty easy now.” He admitted. 

“What about the sleeping together? Was that part of the ruse?” Scott pressed sounding upset and Stiles knew he’d upset his friend by lying to him about this, but, it had been necessary.

“Yeah, well, it’s one of those things with my magic and stuff, like, I don’t drain him, but, having somebody next to me, it helps my body heal, I mean, I can do, I can give my body, energy boosts, but, it takes time and I have to be conscious, sleeping next to someone helps increase my energy levels without draining any of Theo’s.”

“Energy boosts?” Lydia asked, waiting for further clarification and Stiles blushed.

“Yeah, um, what you guys felt before, the sudden rush of energy, that was, um, that was me, I was erm, I was, you know, giving myself a bit of a boost and um, when it happens, there’s a bit of extra energy that sort of distributes in the immediate area and to anyone in that vicinity.” Stiles explained. 

“And the boost healed you? That’s why you don’t look like you’re in as much pain?” Boyd queried. 

“Yeah, basically.” Stiles nodded. 

“Why didn’t you do that last night? Heal yourself rather than passing out and Theo and Erica risking their lives to save you?” Malia asked and Stiles grimaced. 

“It’s um, it’s not a quick solution, I can’t do it instantly and it’s harder when I’m in pain, so, anyway, we’re getting off topic…” Stiles said, rubbing at his side gently as if trying to soothe an ache. 

“Do you need another boost?” Isaac asked and Stiles blushed. 

“What? No! No, I’m fine.” He replied.

“You’re still in pain. Can you only do it like once a day or something? You can borrow some of my energy if you want? Although, do I have to kiss you to do it?” 

“Oh god.” Stiles whispered looking mortified. 

“Stiles won’t take your energy if he’s conscious, he point blank refuses, but no, it doesn’t have to involve kissing, skin-on-skin contact helps, but, if he wasn’t so fucking stubborn, he can borrow energy from me at any point, we have matching tattoos, if we touch them, we can draw energy from each other, even if we are aren’t anywhere near each other, so, if I’m hurt in a fight, I could touch the tattoo and I’d be able to borrow some of Stiles’ energy even if he was across the room, it would heal me and then I could finish the fight without getting killed hopefully.” 

“But it would weaken Stiles, wouldn’t it?” Peter asked and Theo nodded.

“Yes, it does. Which is why I try and avoid doing it unless it’s absolutely necessary, but, sometimes it is necessary and so long as he then doesn’t do something completely stupid and use way too much magic in an attempt to save someone half a world away, it shouldn’t affect him too badly.” Theo said and Stiles blushed slightly. 

“Yeah, I try not to do that too often.” He mumbled. 

“But, the boosts? You can only do them once a day?” Kira asked and Stiles looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. 

“No, I could do them more, it’s, fuck, this is so embarrassing, I’m going to say it once and then we’re going to move onto something else because as is it I’m going to die of humiliation, agreed?” Everyone nodded, “Good. Okay, to give my energy a boost I have to have an orgasm, or, more like, when I have an orgasm, it gives me a boost, got it? All clear on the energy boosts and the healing and everything?” He said quickly and everyone stared at him in silence for a moment before they nodded, Erica smirking at Derek who was still staring at Stiles, evidently stunned, thankfully Stiles didn’t seem to notice and Derek was glad about that, shaking his head slightly to rid himself of the very erotic images that his mind had just created. 

“So, um, you can save people half a world away?” Allison asked, trying helpfully to change the subject as Stiles’ embarrassment was evident for them all to witness, “How does that work?” 

“It’s not that interesting really, just a kind of like, astral projection, sort of, but, anyway, I think we’ve covered everything, now you know everything, I left here, I joined the council, I trained, I graduated, I travel around the world helping keep the supernatural secret as best I can, there’s not really much else to tell you…” Stiles rambled. 

“Astral projection sounds kind of interesting actually. Where did you travel to?” Lydia asked. 

“It’s really not.” Stiles said evasively. 

“What did you do?” Derek said, knowing Stiles well enough to know when he was trying to avoid answering a question. 

“Nothing, I mean, nothing serious, I mean, like, nothing serious to me, I’m fine now, totally fine.” Stiles replied. 

“Stiles!” Scott growled, “What do you mean ‘fine now’? Were you not fine? What did you do!?” 

“Nothing, I swear, I just, I may have sort of had to have a word with someone and it had to be kind of threatening, I would have been fine, but, like, I’d left the job early because of, um, an emergency and then Theo got hurt and he drained a little of my energy because he didn’t realise that I was doing something a bit drastic, and, so it maybe took more than I expected, but, you know, I’m fine now, that’s what matters.”

“Don’t lie. You still haven’t recovered properly and if I hadn’t gotten back to the hotel and found you, given you some of my energy, you would have died.” Theo scolded, “I told you we should have left this to someone else, give you time to recover properly, but, you’re so goddamn stubborn it’s like you have no self-preservation at all.” Theo muttered. 

“We’re going to come back to what that means, right after you tell us what was so important that you nearly killed yourself doing it.” Boyd demanded and Stiles bit his lip nervously, opening and closing his mouth a few times before Theo sighed irritably. 

“You don’t honestly think that witch decided to take her curse off you herself, do you?” He said to Derek who stared at him for a moment before his mind caught up with what Theo meant. 

“You mean you’re the one she was terrified of?” He asked in astonishment. 

“Um, yeah, I guess so.” Stiles admitted. 

“But, hang on, you said you were going to research a way to break the curse! Not that you were going to fucking astral project and take on a witch by yourself! Are you completely insane!?” Derek shouted, getting to his feet and staring at Stiles like he’d completely lost his mind. 

“It wasn’t a big deal.” Stiles muttered. 

“Not a big deal!? Are you kidding me!? Theo said you nearly died…”

“He’s exaggerating!” Stiles scowled.

“I’m not.” Theo commented. 

“I’m more inclined to believe Theo right now, at least he hasn’t spent the past three years lying to us!” Derek shouted, “You took on a witch! By yourself! When she’d already cursed me! When I was fucking dying because of her! She could have killed you! Do you have a death wish!?” 

“Fuck you!” Stiles shouted back, getting to his feet and wincing just the slightest bit, “First off, you lost the right to have any knowledge as to what was going on in my life the day you told me I wasn’t pack! In fact, the only reason you know now is because you happened to be at my dad’s house when Theo called Erica for help, otherwise you’d still not know!”

“Erica is my beta! I’m her Alpha!” Derek snapped angrily, still unable to believe that Stiles had been so reckless with his own life in an attempt to save Derek. 

“Yeah and she’s my friend!” 

“Best friend.” Erica commented and they both turned to glare at her, she grinned widely.

“Also,” Stiles continued heatedly, “Like I couldn’t have taken that witch out in an instant!? You have no idea what I’m capable of because you don’t know me Derek! There wouldn’t have been an issue if Theo hadn’t borrowed some of my energy, actually, no, scratch that, there wouldn’t have been an issue if you hadn’t got yourself cursed in the first place! But, no, of course not, you can’t manage to not piss off every single person you come into contact with!” Stiles seethed. 

“Stiles!” Noah admonished. 

“What? Like I’m wrong? You’re only pissed because ‘the liability’ saved your fucking ass again!” Stiles snapped.

“Stiles, calm down.” Theo said, reaching a hand out and touching Stiles’ wrist gently, Derek could smell the power rolling off Stiles in intoxicating waves that made him want to bare his throat to him and beg for forgiveness, but, underneath that, he could smell the hurt and pain that Stiles felt and Derek knew that was because of him, he’d caused that, he’d made Stiles feel like he was nothing, that he had to do something as insane as joining the council in order to prove that he was good at something. 

“I’ve got it.” Stiles grumbled, pulling his arm out of Theo’s grip and moving towards the kitchen, rubbing at his temples, and taking slow, deep, steadying breaths, Derek could almost see the magic in the air, a shimmering in the air around Stiles, as if he could reach out and touch it, slowly, as Stiles breathed evenly, it faded, until the scent of power was gone completely, but, it wasn’t forgotten, no, Derek wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forget that scent. It was power, raw, uncontrollable power, that would destroy anything and everything that stood in its path, but, more than that, it was Stiles, it was all that power wrapped up in Stiles’ scent, and it was enough to make Derek struggle for dominance of his wolf when all it wanted to do was sink to the floor in front of Stiles and plead with their mate for forgiveness. 

“What was that?” Isaac whispered, sounding terrified. 

“Mica’s powerful, very powerful, that’s not even him at full power.” Theo said, sounding proud of Stiles, “He sometimes just gets a little overwhelmed by the amount of power running through his veins, especially when there’s strong emotions involved.” 

“Is it dangerous?” Kira asked. 

“Not to us. But, to Stiles, yeah, it can be.” Erica said. 

“I’m sorry.” Derek muttered and Stiles turned to glare at him. “I should have never said that to you, you’re not a liability Stiles. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, after that display you’d have to be an idiot to think he was.” Theo commented and Stiles nodded in agreement.

“Obviously.” He muttered, his eyes fixed on the floor still, it was obvious that Stiles agreed with Theo, that Derek was apologising because Stiles had shown off his power, that wasn’t the case, not at all.

“No, you were never a liability…” Derek began and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Please Derek, you really don’t need to try and boost my ego, we both know you’re only saying it now because you know I’ve got magic, Theo’s right, if you thought I was still boring, completely non-special, non-super powered, human Stiles, you’d still think that I was a risk to all those around me and you’d still not want me anywhere near the pack.” Stiles huffed, “I’m going for a walk.” He said abruptly, grabbing his jacket and storming from the room, ignoring the looks of astonishment from the pack or the way Derek looked almost devastated by Stiles’ words, Stiles knew that wasn’t true though. 

Derek had made himself perfectly clear on what he thought of Stiles and just because Stiles had changed, worked his ass off to get stronger and faster and more powerful, someone who was worthy, someone his dad could be proud of, that didn’t give Derek the right to try and take back what he’d said. If he wanted to recognise that Stiles was better, harder, tougher, whatever, then fine, he’d accept that, but he couldn’t deal with Derek pretending that he had always thought that, no, that wasn’t fair and he wasn’t going to pretend it was. Derek had hurt him, not intentionally and Stiles wouldn’t blame him for not looking at Stiles in the same way Stiles viewed him, but, still, he hurt him and Stiles wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to look at Derek without thinking about the rejection and humiliation he’d felt that morning.


	6. Chapter 6

“I should go and apologize.” Derek said, moving towards the door that Stiles had just left through, Theo stood up and blocked his path, a satisfied smirk on his features. 

“I think you should stay away from him. He doesn’t want anything to do with you. He’s made that perfectly clear. He’s only here for the job and as soon as it’s done, we’re leaving again.” Theo said determinedly. 

“Yeah well good job I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think.” Derek snarled moving to push past Theo and raising an eyebrow at him threateningly when Theo put a hand on his chest to stop him. “You really want to do this?” He growled, his eyes flashing red.

“No, he doesn’t.” Erica snapped, standing next to Derek, “Theo.” She said warningly. 

“I don’t know, I think I could take you.” Theo replied with a smirk, “And, really, I think Mica would thank me, because he really doesn’t like you, every time you were mentioned he’d smell of grief, not anymore though, now it’s just disgust, but, don’t worry, I always helped to take his mind of it, do you want to take a guess how many times I’ve traced his tattoos as he’s slept in my arms? I mean, really, I should thank you for getting cursed by that witch, we spent nearly a solid week just curled up in bed together before he was strong enough to get up.” Theo goaded and Derek growled, his hold on his wolf weakening slightly, he wanted to rip and tear Theo apart, wanted to remove this threat, the one that was keeping their mate away from them, he took a steadying breath, he couldn’t kill Theo, Stiles cared about him, even if it wasn’t as much as Theo wanted. The whole pack had tensed, waiting for a fight, waiting for Derek to launch himself at Theo, and, honestly, Derek wasn’t sure if the pack would stop him or help him, that was what helped him regain control, if he killed Theo and the pack didn’t stop him Stiles would leave and never speak to any of them again.

“Yeah, but, that’s it, isn’t it?” Derek taunted, leaning close and smirking at Theo, “A few fake kisses and sleeping in each other’s arm as he heals himself, that’s all you’ll ever get from him because he doesn’t love you. Not like he loved me, and, believe me, we definitely weren’t sleeping when we were in my bed.” Derek replied, not caring that Noah would hear him, the man knew what had happened between them, there was no point in pretending it didn’t happen, and, if he got to rub it in Theo’s face slightly then that made him feel a hell of a lot better. 

Derek didn’t expect Theo to throw the first punch but at least he managed to dodge it so that it clipped his shoulder instead of his jaw. Derek snarled and charged at him, tackling Theo to the ground, caught by surprise when Theo flipped them so that he could punch Derek in the chest.

“Right yeah, right before you broke his heart?” Theo replied snarling as Derek’s claws raked his arm, grabbing Derek’s arm and throwing him through the air, over the back of the sofa to smash into the wall, the rest of the pack shouting for them to stop but none of them getting involved. “I mean, at least I stand a chance, at least there’s hope that Stiles will fall for me, but, you? There’s no hope for you. You destroyed that the same moment you destroyed him. You know he has nightmares, and sometimes he’ll wake up crying, breaking his heart over it and you know what it is that hurt him so much? Not the nogitsune. Not nearly killing Allison. Not nearly losing his dad or Erica. Not fearing for his life. Not Steph dying. Not being tortured or kidnapped or nearly raped. No. It’s your face. It’s your face when you tell him he’s nothing special, a liability, not pack. You? You’re his worst nightmare and he will never, ever, want to be with you.” Theo snarled as Derek climbed back to his feet, punching Theo hard enough to put him on his ass.

“Nearly raped!? What the hell are you talking about!?” Erica said sounding surprised which shocked Derek, he thought Stiles told her everything, for her not to know it must have been pretty bad. Theo swiped at the blood running from his nose, pressed a finger against his wrist and was suddenly back up on his feet, clawing Derek’s stomach, it would have gutted him if Derek hadn’t moved at the last second, taking a step backwards and the fight resumed. Derek knew by all rights he should have beaten Theo several times, except every time he was sure Theo was done, the other wolf kept climbing back up to his feet looking more and more unhinged by the minute, eventually Derek got thrown backwards into the wall again, he placed his hands on the floor, ready to push himself back up and fight him again when Erica dived on top of him, stopping him from moving for the briefest second. 

“Get off!” He snarled, shoving her sideways. 

“Stop! Derek! Stop!” She pleaded, but Derek didn’t have time for her, he’d kill Theo, he’d fucking kill him, his wolf was firmly in control right now, protecting himself and his pack from the threat. “Stiles! He’s draining Stiles! You have to stop!” Erica begged and her words sunk in slowly, Derek stilled in his movements, his chest heaving, panting for breath as he recovered from the fight, his wounds healing underneath his torn clothes. 

“What?” Derek whispered in horror, observing the way that Theo’s fingers slipped from his wrist and he caught the briefest hint of a tattoo on the skin there. Erica was already on her feet, sprinting out of the front door and down the sidewalk away from the house, the front door swinging on its hinges behind her before all the pack seemed to realise what Erica had said and were running after her, Theo and Derek included, their earlier fight forgotten. 

“Mica!” Erica called out in panic the moment she saw Stiles, he was sat on the sidewalk a few blocks from the house, his head between his knees, his hands shaking, he looked pale, like he was on the verge of collapse, “You okay?” Erica asked, crouching down next to him and placing a hand on his damp forehead. 

“Fine.” Stiles said shortly, getting to his feet a little unsteadily, leaning on Erica to keep himself upright as he glanced at Theo, taking in his still healing injuries, “I’m assuming there was a good reason for that?” He asked in annoyance and Theo blushed, shooting a glance at Derek, Stiles’ eyes followed his, taking in Derek’s torn shirt and the blood that covered his healed injuries. Stiles took a step towards Theo, grabbing his wrist tightly, twisting it slightly and leaning in close, “If you can’t keep whatever wolf instincts you were acting on under control then I’ll remove this tattoo, very fucking painfully, and you’ll have to rely on your own strength, understand?” Stiles threatened sounding dangerous and Theo nodded, looking suitably abashed before turning to Derek, his eyes filled with anger and Derek ducked his gaze, submitting to Stiles, aware he’d done wrong. 

“Sorry, things got out of hand and I apologise, Stiles is my pack and you upset him, I just got overprotective. I’m sorry.” Theo said and Derek glared at him, Theo had been the one to nearly cause Stiles to pass out from taking too much energy from him even when he knew he wasn’t fully recovered from last night. 

“Accepted.” Peter said, stepping between the two of them, and Derek gritted his teeth, knowing his uncle was trying to stop them from coming to blows again, “Stiles, do you need to borrow some energy? You can use it to strengthen yourself?” 

“I’m fine.” Stiles growled, standing up straight, even if it was a little unsteadily. 

“I told you, he won’t take energy if he’s conscious.” Theo muttered. 

“And yet you took it from him knowing he was weakened already!” Isaac said murderously and Theo blushed. 

“Enough. I’m fine and if the rest of you can actually control yourselves then Theo won’t need to take any more to protect himself.” Stiles scolded them and Derek blushed, he hadn’t meant to lose control, hadn’t meant to attack Theo, but, well, Theo had attacked him first, he couldn’t exactly say that to Stiles without sounding like a petulant child, and, really, he should have been able to resolve it without resorting to trying to rip Theo apart. 

“Come on, I’ll take you home, you can give yourself a boost.” Erica said simply, wrapping an arm around Stiles’ waist and letting him lean more than a little of his weight on her. 

“I don’t need…” 

“If you ever want to get this job finished you’re going to need as much energy as you can get, if that means you having to go upstairs and jerk yourself off every ten minutes for the next week I don’t care, at least you’ll be alive which is a damn sight better than the last couple of days have nearly ended.” Erica snapped and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“So crude.” He muttered and she laughed. 

“Oh yeah, you know I’m going to be listening in, you know how much I enjoy a bit of voyeurism.” She teased and Stiles shook his head in bemusement before putting an arm around her shoulder and walking back to the house, refusing to look at any of the rest of the pack, and, if his grip tightened when his legs wobbled slightly, well, he told himself that Erica was the only one who noticed. 

Noah looked around his destroyed living room, shooting a look at Theo and Derek who both refused to meet his gaze, Erica ignored them all, escorting Stiles upstairs to the bathroom and waving for the rest of them to wait downstairs. 

“Do you need a hand?” She whispered, knowing the wolves would probably still be able to hear, Stiles was shaking, his hands trembling and he looked ready to pass out any second. 

“Very funny.” He chuckled. 

“I’m not joking, if you want me to…”

“No, nope, nope. There’s certain levels to our friendship that I’ll deal with, risking our lives for each other, totally fine, well, not really, I’m still not happy about you risking your life last night, but, point being, you giving me a hand job in the bathroom so I can hopefully not pass out, no, that is so far past the line it’s not even funny, plus, Boyd would probably kill me.” Stiles joked. 

“Oh please, we both know Boyd would make the same offer if he was here.” Erica replied and Stiles gulped loudly.

“Oh wow, I so didn’t need to know that. Get out, get out so I can, you know, deal with this.” He muttered with a faint blush and Erica nodded, moving to the door and closing it behind her. 

“Don’t lock the door, just in case you do pass out.” She said through the door and Stiles laughed.

“God, that’d be bad, you find me dead on the toilet with my pants around my ankles, I’d be like the new Elvis.” He joked weakly. 

“We both know you’re nowhere near as talented as Elvis, yeah you can sing, but you can’t dance for shit.” Erica teased in reply. 

“I’ll have you know there’s a lot of people out there that would disagree with that statement, they happen to think my dancing is pretty boner inducing.” 

“Well I don’t have a boner.” Erica smirked.

“Me neither.” Stiles replied sounding a little sad and Erica laughed although it was tinged with worry.

“I’ll head downstairs, give you some privacy alright, just, shout if you need me?”

“Yeah I will.” Stiles muttered.

Erica sighed heavily, pushing away from the door and clenching her fists, she walked down the stairs, seeing the pack all waiting to see that Stiles was okay, she didn’t have eyes for them though, her eyes were fixed firmly on Theo, she marched towards him, clenched her fist in his shirt and shoved him into the nearest wall, eyes flashing gold and claws beginning to protrude.

“If you ever drain my best friend again I will rip your throat out, I will make sure that you never get the chance to even attempt to heal yourself using his energy, I will slaughter you and I will smile while I do it. Do you understand me!?” She growled threateningly. 

“Stiles…” Theo began and Erica slammed him harder into the wall. 

“No, don’t ‘Stiles’ me! We both know that he doesn’t put his own safety first, as his partner you’re supposed to protect him, keep him safe, die for him if necessary, not drain his energy because you got into a pissing contest with Derek. You want to be with Stiles, so does Derek, we get it. But it’s Stiles’ choice, and the two of you just look fucking pathetic fighting over him like children. And right now, if he asked my opinion, which he fucking will because I’m his best friend, I’d tell him to remove your tattoo and then remove you, make sure he never sees you again. And you,” She rounded on Derek, prodding him in a chest with a finger.

“Erica…” Derek began apologetically. 

“No, you listen to me clearly, you might be my Alpha, but Stiles is my best friend! You were too out of control to see what was happening and Stiles got hurt, again! I love you Derek, I do, you know that, but I won’t let him get hurt if I can help it and if you can’t control your jealousy long enough to realise that Stiles was in danger because of you then you don’t deserve to be anywhere near him.” Erica snapped and Derek felt guilt flood through him, “What would you have done if I hadn’t stopped the fight? What would it have taken for you to realise that Stiles was the one getting hurt in this? Would you have drained his energy until he passed out? Until he died? Would you have kept getting back up despite knowing that Theo was stronger than you just because you’re the Alpha? Your stubbornness nearly got him killed.” She looked to Theo and both of them stared at the floor, unable to believe that they’d been so lost in their fight, in beating the other, that Stiles hadn’t even crossed their minds.

“I’m so sorry.” Derek whispered sounding devastated. 

“It’s not me you need to apologise to.” Erica said sadly, beginning to move around the room and tidy up the mess. 

“I’m really sorry about the mess Noah, I’ll pay for any damage.” Derek muttered shamefully and Noah nodded tightly, observing the dints in his wall before shrugging. 

“It’s nothing serious.” He said dismissively, “What I’d really like to know is why you said about Stiles being ‘tortured and nearly raped’?” He asked Theo.

“Don’t forget the kidnap bit.” Scott added.

“I already knew about that bit. But he said they just roughed him up a bit?” 

“They did.” Theo replied, glancing at the stairs, “I really think this is something you need to discuss with Stiles, I should never have said anything.” 

“Except you did.” Noah said. 

“Not all of us know about the kidnap bit, what happened?” Allison commented and Theo gritted his teeth slightly. 

“An assignment went sideways.” He admitted. 

“Which means what?” Cora said. 

“It means we were under the assumption that there was only one of them, Stiles was supposed to lead the target out of the club, get him in the alleyway at the side, I was supposed to follow them and get behind him while he was distracted.” 

“But?” Isaac pressed. 

“There was more than one. Stiles lured the original target out, I followed after them, they were in the alleyway as we agreed, I came up behind him, went to snap his neck and someone grabbed me from behind, there were six of them, they’d set a trap, they’d been looking for Stiles, well, they didn’t know it was him in particular, they were looking for the new, powerful, magic user that the council had on their payroll.” Theo explained, there was a sudden silence as everyone felt a sudden increase in their energy and Derek tried not to think about what it meant, tried not to think about going up to the bathroom, opening the door, crouching down in front of Stiles, cupping his chin gently in one of his hands and leaning in to kiss him, Stiles’ soft lips against his own, his pulse jumping rapidly under Derek’s fingertips, no, he couldn’t think about that, not now, now when Stiles was so mad at him. He mustn’t have done that good of a job of hiding his arousal as Erica wrinkled her nose but, Derek could smell Theo’s arousal too, so he knew he wasn’t the only one affected by what had happened upstairs. 

“So what happened? They’d set a trap?” Cora asked, blinking rapidly a few times as if adjusting to the sudden boost in her energy. 

“Yeah, sort of, they’d killed a few people, taken them all from the same club, they knew we’d follow the lead, they were magically inclined, not as powerful as Stiles, but, still powerful, they could sense his magic, we thought our target was the only one, he approached Stiles which was what we wanted, they talked for a bit, danced, you know, the necessary things to lure him outside.” Theo said.

“Just how many of these assignments that you’ve been on involve Stiles playing bait in some way?” Boyd practically growled. 

“Not all of them, but, well, Stiles is the senior agent, so, we go with his plans, and, obviously he kind of, well, you know, he doesn’t have much sense of self-preservation, so, he comes up with the plans and I tell him he’s an idiot and we go ahead and do them anyway.” Theo muttered. 

“And you listen to him!? Knowing the fact he’s too reckless with his own safety as it is? He doesn’t need any encouragement!” Scott hissed angrily, careful to keep his voice down in case Stiles heard him. 

“I told you, he’s the senior agent.” Theo said. 

“Which means jack shit!” Peter said through clenched teeth, “You’re his partner! You’re supposed to be making sure he doesn’t do stupid shit like put his life in danger!” 

“Fine, alright, you tell him what to do instead, see how well that works for you, because he’s a hell of a lot more powerful than me, than any of you, he’ll do what he wants to do and there is literally nothing you can do about it. You try to stop him and he’ll use his magic to lock the doors and keep you in the hotel room where you can’t help at all! Excuse me for at least wanting to be there to help him.” 

“Theo’s right.” Noah sighed, “As much as I hate to admit it, Stiles is stubborn, you know that, and he’s powerful too, I’d rather he had someone watching out for him than him be all alone out there, but we’re getting off topic, I want to know what you meant about him being almost raped.”

“By the people that kidnapped him? Why did they want him? How long did they have him for?” Kira asked. 

“Right, yes, so, we were in the alleyway and I went to snap the target’s neck when someone grabbed me, they had their arm around my throat, practically crushing my windpipe, there were six of them, Stiles tried to use magic against them, but they’d done something, his magic didn’t work and then one of them knocked me out and when I woke up Stiles was gone.” Theo muttered darkly. 

“Yeah, yeah, we know all that, what did you mean about being nearly raped!?” Erica pressed. 

“They wanted Stiles’ magic, they had, there was a spell they were going to cast, they needed to do it on the night of the full moon, I didn’t know about it, I wasn’t sure if he was already dead, if they’d killed him the second I was unconscious, but, I had to try and find him, even if it was only his dead body. I called the council, told them what had happened, they explained the elves were planning to increase their magic by draining Stiles of his, it meant he was still alive, that I had a chance to find him.”

“Why didn’t he just escape? If he’s got all this magic, why didn’t he just like blast them and escape?” Allison asked. 

“A lot of his magic comes from his hands, it’s not obvious, but, if he can’t move his hands, or his wrists or fingers, he can’t use his magic.”

“What did they do? How did they stop him from using his magic?” Cora growled. 

“Stiles hasn’t told me everything they did, but, I can take a good guess from what I saw.” Theo replied.

“Which was what!?” Noah practically snarled. 

“When I tracked them down, Stiles had been beaten, repeatedly, his hands had been smashed, like they’d been hit with a hammer or something, his hands were practically useless for days, even after I untied him, he couldn’t use them, it looked like they’d tortured him, and, well, he was stripped to his boxers and he’d been, they’d been, there had obviously been some, um, they’d left other marks too.” Theo said.

“What kind of marks?” Erica snapped through gritted teeth. 

“The kind that fades.” Stiles said from the stairs, every eye turned to look at him, he was still pale, but not incredibly so, there was a little colour in his cheeks and annoyance in his features, although it was aimed directly at Theo and Derek was a little relieved about that. 

“Fades!? Are you shitting me right now!? Mica you promised me that you’d tell me everything! That was one of the only reasons why we even agreed to this whole ‘joining the council and saving the world’ crap! And now I’m finding out from Theo that the elves that kidnapped you also tried to rape you!?” 

“It wasn’t like that.” Stiles muttered, moving to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water as Erica followed after him angrily. 

“Wasn’t like that!? What the hell happened Stiles?”

“Nothing. Not really.” Stiles replied dismissively. 

“Not really still means that something happened Mica!” Erica scolded and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Fine, yes, something happened, but, it was nothing.” Stiles responded and Derek felt his chest clench uncomfortably, god, Stiles could have been raped, was nearly raped, and, god, Derek should have done a better job of protecting him, he should have never pushed Stiles away, he should have kept him close, protected him from the world. 

“Stiles, tell me, please.” Erica pleaded and Stiles sighed heavily, putting his glass on the side and keeping his back to the pack, his shoulders tense, he looked like he was carrying the weight of the world. 

“The spell they were casting, planning to cast, it was, to cast it, they needed to, it was blood magic and sex magic, they needed to wait until the full moon for it to work, they needed to give me this potion, that would basically allow my magic to be absorbed by their spell, so they gave me the potion each day, and after three days, on the night of the full moon, they could cast the spell and take my magic, but, Alex, the original target, the one I lured out of the club, he was a little, um, frustrated I guess, with having to wait that long, so, um, well the others wouldn’t let him actually have sex with me, they didn’t want to risk messing with the spell, because they’d been giving me the potion, but, you know, it didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to do other things.” 

“Like what?” Peter growled protectively. 

“You know, stuff. Touching, groping, that kind of stuff, but, really, it was, I managed, it was fine, and, then Theo came, and he freed me, and, then we killed the elves and that was the end of it, I called you, told you I hadn’t called because I’d been kidnapped, you didn’t need to know all the details, I was safe.” 

“When did you find him?” Scott asked.

“What?” Theo replied in confusion. 

“What night did you find him? How long did they have him? How long did a group of elves kidnap and torture and abuse Stiles while you didn’t think to call his dad or Erica or any of us!? You thought he might have been dead and you didn’t call us so that we could help!?” Scott snarled and Stiles rolled his eyes, turning around to face Scott. 

“Scott, that’s the way the council works. If a member goes missing or goes down, you finish the job, that’s all there is to it. You don’t get the option to fall apart, you finish the job, your job. Calling you guys, it wouldn’t have helped, all it would have done is put you in danger, and, if I’d already been dead? How would you guys finding my body be any better than Theo finding it? He would have told my dad the instant he knew for definite, until then, he did the job. Besides, he found me, that’s what matters.” Stiles said reasonably.

“It was the night of the full moon.” Theo confessed, “I was nearly too late, I could have been too late so easily.” 

“But you weren’t.” Stiles reassured him with a hand on his shoulder, “You found me before they could drain my magic and before they could kill me.”

“Before they could rape you, you mean.” Erica snapped and Stiles shrugged.

“That too.” He nodded, “Look, I know you’re annoyed I didn’t tell you, but, I was fine, why upset you for no reason?” 

“Because we agreed! You promised you wouldn’t keep things from me, that I would always know what was going on with you, so that I knew you were safe, that doing this job wasn’t destroying you, wasn’t going to damage your soul. That’s what you said, that you wanted me to be the one that kept you on track, your anchor to your humanity, and you didn’t tell me this.” Erica said, sounding more upset than anything else and Stiles moved towards her, the apology on his features evident for them all to see.

“Rica, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Stiles said, sounding on the verge of tears. 

“You didn’t hurt me Mica, you’re the one that got hurt. You risked yourself and you nearly got raped and you were half way across the world and I couldn’t have done anything and I hate it, I hate your job, I hate you endangering yourself, I hate worrying about you, not knowing if the next call I get will be to tell me you’re dead, and, I put up with it, I always put up with it, because you tell me, you tell me it’s okay, you tell me it’s all fine, that you have it handled, whatever, and I listen to you, because you never, not once, have you ever lied to me. But now you have, you lied to me about this, so how am I supposed to let you go back out there and believe you when you tell me that’s it fine? How am I supposed to trust you when you say that this thing isn’t going to kill you when it’s already nearly killed you? You could have died last night, and I let you go out there with Theo because you told me you would be careful and I believed you and you lied to me before, what’s to say you weren’t lying to me again last night?” Erica sobbed and Stiles looked distraught, pulling her into a hug and holding her tightly. 

“I’m sorry, god, I’m so sorry.” Stiles muttered, “I didn’t want you to worry, I’m sorry Catwoman, I swear, I didn’t want you worrying and knowing that you couldn’t do anything, not when it was already over.” 

“But you tell me everything.” Erica replied, “Every assignment you’ve been on, you’ve told me everything, told me about drunken idiots hitting on you, getting in the way of your target, messing up hunts, what you’ve had to do to lure your target out, when you’ve danced with them or kissed them or played bait in the woods, the lost camper or the drunken idiot or whatever, so, why didn’t you tell me about this?” 

“It was different Rica.” Stiles whispered. 

“Different how?” She pressed. 

“I don’t know.” Stiles muttered, avoiding her eyes, looking instead at the floor, “Everything else, all the other times, I haven’t wanted to do it but I’ve done it, play bait, give them an easy target, I’ve done it because it’s part of the job, I’ve made the choice to do it, knowing what the risks were, but, that, it was different, I knew I’d have to flirt with the target, lure him outside, but, afterwards, when they’d taken me, it was, I didn’t,” Stiles sighed heavily, looking pained, “It was different because it wasn’t my choice, wasn’t what I wanted, and if I told you, if you knew, it would have made it real and I didn’t want it to be.” All the anger and hurt vanished from Erica’s features, instead her face showed exactly how devastated she was as those words, the rest of the pack all looking equally pained, Noah looked like he wanted to rip and tear those monsters to shreds and he wasn’t the only one. 

Derek had felt jealously when Stiles had admitted that he’d flirted with someone else, even knowing it was only for a job, Derek felt jealously, because he’d not been the one that Stiles was flirting with, he knew that was ridiculous, knew that what Stiles did or didn’t do was nothing to do with him, but it didn’t change his feelings. Up until he heard those words. Until Stiles whispered his confession to Erica, of course Derek had expected to hear something along those lines, of course they were discussing the fact that Stiles had nearly been raped so of course at some point Stiles would admit that he didn’t want it, that didn’t surprise Derek. What surprised him was Stiles whispering that he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it because it made it real. 

He was stunned, silent, speechless, they all were, what could they possibly say to Stiles to make this okay? Stiles had been kidnapped, tortured, nearly raped, and none of them had been there to help him, none of them had had any idea of what he was going through and that was Derek’s fault, he’d pushed Stiles away, he’d forced him into leaving, all of this was Derek’s fault. 

“Mica,” Erica whispered sounding physically pained. 

“I’m okay.” Stiles replied evenly, his gaze still fixed on the floor rather than any of them, “I’m okay, honestly, it was a while ago, I’ve had time to process, I’m okay, Theo saved me, he rescued me before they could hurt me too badly and they’re dead, I’m fine.” Derek was thankful to Theo, god, he hated him, so fucking much, but, Theo had saved Stiles, saved him from being raped, saved him from having his magic stripped from him and probably saved him from being murdered after all of that. He might hate Theo, although he knew that was purely jealously, but, he couldn’t deny that in this moment he was so grateful to him for protecting Stiles when Derek had failed so miserably. 

“I know you are.” Erica said, pulling him into a hug and holding him tightly, as if the hug would help all the things wrong with this scene, before Stiles could pull away, Scott rushed forward and hugged him from the side, his dad coming on the other side until, eventually, almost the entire pack was hugging Stiles as best they could, hoping to help him in whatever way they could. Derek stood awkwardly nearby, wanting to hug Stiles, wanting to tell him it would all be okay, but, he honestly wasn’t sure how Stiles would respond to that and the last thing he wanted was to upset him even further, he glanced across at Theo who was also standing away from the hug and their gazes met for a second, Stiles had to be the priority which meant that Derek needed to put aside his jealously and focus on making sure Stiles was okay, nothing else, he raised an eyebrow at Theo who nodded in agreement, for the time being, their issues were to be forgotten. 

When the hug broke apart a few minutes later there were several people who were wiping at their eyes silently and Derek didn’t need to be the Alpha to know that his entire pack was hurting at the very idea of Stiles being hurt and none of them being around to help him. Derek wouldn’t allow that to happen again, he couldn’t. 

“So, you didn’t come back to Beacon Hills just to visit your dad?” Isaac asked a few minutes later and Stiles shook his head looking a little guilty. 

“You’re working a job?” Scott asked for clarification and Stiles nodded, “Which is what you were doing last night? Hunting something that nearly tore you in half?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles admitted. 

“Are you insane!?” Peter commented and Stiles shrugged.

“Sometimes I really do wonder, but the psych evaluations suggest probably not.” He replied sarcastically and Peter stared at him in shock before shaking his head. 

“I can’t believe…what are you after? What’s in our territory?” Peter changed tactics, knowing that arguing with Stiles about how dangerous it was wasn’t going to get them anywhere. 

“It’s not important.” Stiles said. 

“Not important!? There’s something in our territory that nearly killed you, it’s important we know what’s going on!” Cora argued. 

“It won’t come after you, not yet, and I’ll stop it long before it does.” Stiles replied. 

“You can’t be serious! You’re not actually thinking about going back out there?” Scott said looking terrified. 

“Of course I am.” Stiles said looking at Scott in confusion, had he not understood what Stiles did for a living? This was his job. This was what he did. Found danger and ran headfirst at it. 

“But this thing nearly killed you last night!” Scott said in amazement, surely Stiles wasn’t that stupid? This thing had already beaten him once, to go after it again was sheer stupidity, couldn’t anybody else see that? 

“That was a tactical error.” Stiles replied calmly. 

“Tactical error!? You nearly getting gutted classifies as a tactical error?” Scott scoffed. 

“That was my fault.” Theo admitted, “I didn’t stick to the plan, we’ll come up with a different plan and I swear I’ll follow it to the letter this time.” He said solemnly and Stiles shook his head. 

“No, you won’t. You’re not coming with me…”

“You can’t do that!” Theo said heatedly.

“Theo, I don’t know where your head is at, but it’s not in the game. I can beat it, but, I need to not get distracted watching out for you, which is exactly what has happened the last three times. Right now it’s injured and it’s weakened and I can take it out alone.” 

“Right now, YOU are injured and weakened. Going after it now is stupid.” Erica interrupted. 

“Of course you already know all about it.” Scott mumbled and Erica smirked at him. 

“Why wouldn’t I? Stiles and Theo told us what was going on the minute you all left on their first night here.” Erica informed them and Scott practically growled, Stiles was supposed to be his best friend and instead of telling him what had been going on, he’d had this whole other secret life and Erica had been the only pack member that was actually in the know. 

“Alright, calm your little werewolf urges down!” Stiles snapped getting in between them and Scott and Erica both flushed when they realised their claws were out and their eyes had flashed golden, “As surprised as I am that you guys are getting all territorial over my friendship, because, honestly, I’m not anything special to get all growly about, I love you both, you know that, you’re family, so, get a grip, I’m not picking between you and if you two start an actual fight over me, I’ll start squirting both of you with my handy water bottle.” 

They both took a step backwards, looking guilty as their claws retracted and Derek couldn’t help but flush with embarrassment, if Stiles was annoyed about Erica and Scott fighting over his friendship, he didn’t even want to think about how pissed he’d be if he found out about Theo and Derek coming to blows over which one of them got to be with him, it was ridiculous, idiotic, Stiles would be with whoever he chose to be with, that could be any person in the world, not just Theo or Derek. 

“Look, you can understand why we’re all worried about you going back out there, Stiles.” Noah said calmly, “Logically, it makes sense that you use them to help you, I mean, they’re offering assistance, a pack of werewolves is better than just one, right?” 

“No, it’s really not.” Stiles muttered, “First off, if it finds out about them, knows there’s a pack of wolves in town, the instant it gets what it wants then its first priority will be to wipe them out…”

“What does it want? What is it?” Malia queried and Stiles sighed, knowing he’d have to explain it all to them. 

“Alright, okay, sit down, sit down and I’ll explain everything.” Stiles said, waving them all towards the living room, they all went eagerly, sitting down and staring at Stiles and Theo who were standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

“So, what are you hunting?” Lydia pressed.

“Okay, it started with the council contacting me, they have a member stationed in various towns across the world, places where the supernatural is drawn to, usually these towns have a place, like the nemeton, that draws the supernatural to it.” 

“So you mean there’s another member of the council living in town?” Kira asked. 

“There was. He missed his check in. Members in long term stations have to check in at least once a week, he missed his. They checked the records, found his body had been admitted to the morgue, they knew I was from here, that dad was the sheriff, they asked me to come and investigate.” Stiles continued. 

“There haven’t been any suspicious deaths recently.” Derek muttered quietly and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, I know, this wasn’t suspicious. Christopher Davidson was seventy-eight, found in his bed at home, looked to have passed away in his sleep.” Stiles reeled off. 

“But what really happened?” Boyd queried. 

“At first, we weren’t sure, there wasn’t any definite indication that we were dealing with anything supernatural, not at first, it could have legitimately been old age and natural causes, but, we have to investigate to confirm. There was nothing on the body to suggest anything out of the ordinary, so, then we went to his house.” Stiles continued.

“We knew what we were dealing with as soon as we got there, it stank of sulphur.” Theo commented and everyone looked at him blankly, “It means a demon was there.” He supplied with an eye roll and everyone seemed to freeze for a moment, processing the fact that there was a demon in town and they hadn’t known. 

“I removed the glamour that the demon had cast, it showed that Mr Davidson had put up one hell of a fight before he went down, the house was almost destroyed. We tracked the scent, out of the house and into the preserve and we went after the demon.” 

“So when you said about slipping down the hill and cutting your leg?” Derek asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“We didn’t know what kind of demon we were hunting, just that it was a demon, it caught us by surprise, but, we got out of there practically unscathed and it gave us the knowledge to know what we were after, it’s a portal demon, which means it’s got a wicked tail and that’s what scratched me, but, more importantly it meant we knew what it was planning.” 

“Which is what?” Isaac queried nervously.

“The same thing all portal demons want, to open the gates of Hell and unleash demons onto earth, they can create miniature portals, that move them from place to place, but a portal between worlds takes time, it has to be a place of significant power like the nemeton and it takes almost an entire day for the demon to be able to complete the portal correctly, it’s why it doesn’t happen very often, during the time the portal is being created the demon is vulnerable and plenty of people have been able to take one out in the past.” Stiles said simply and everyone in the room seemed to pale slightly. 

“And, um, you’re going to use your um, magic, to stop it? Kill it?” Kira asked weakly.

“Yeah pretty much.”

“But, that involves like spells and stuff? Like the witch that cursed Derek?” Lydia said. 

“No, I’m not a witch, I’m a sp…caster, which is a magic user, it’s slightly different to a witch, they practice the dark arts, therefore their magic isn’t natural, it’s not inside them, they’ve got to use spells and potions to channel the magic.” 

“But you don’t? Because the magic you have is already inside you?” Allison asked. 

“Yeah, exactly.” Stiles nodded.

“But, you didn’t have magic before? When did you realise you had magic? Is it something left over from the nogitsune?” Peter asked and Stiles looked a little sick. 

“No, it’s not. I had magic before, I just, didn’t know it. I think Deaton had some kind of idea but he never said anything, other than ‘be the spark’ when I was surrounding the club with mountain ash to stop Jackson, which, you know, wasn’t overly helpful, so, I didn’t know I had anything like that, and I didn’t realise, in fact, I kind of thought the acceptance to the council was some kind of practical joke, that, as soon as I got there they were basically going to laugh in my face and tell me I was an idiot for ever believing there was anything special about me, but, yeah, they showed me how to harness the magic I have, taught me how to use it, channel it. It’s nothing to do with the nogitsune. Although, a few of the older members suggested that it’s probably why it picked me, because I’d started using magic when I’d used the mountain ash, but, I wasn’t actually using magic, like, learning or developing or anything, so, they think it knew that I ‘wasn’t aware of my potential’ so it went after me, because I had magic but I had no idea how to use it, like a ‘void’ inside me, and, well, the fact that it feeds on chaos and pain, and, well, I had a lot of that, but, mainly, because of the void.” 

“Do you think if Deaton had taught you then it might not have gone after you?” Lydia suggested and Stiles shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter now, maybe, maybe not, who knows? The important thing is that it’s gone, I can’t dwell on what if’s, I’d probably go insane.” Stiles replied sounding pained, Derek wanted to murder Deaton, if the man had had any idea of Stiles’ magic then he should have told Derek, he should have made sure Stiles knew, that he could protect himself, Deaton had got Stiles to use magic and then he hadn’t helped him learn, he’d basically made Stiles a walking target.

“Alright, so, you don’t need to sit there and mutter incantations and that, which is great, because it means you’re not a sitting target, but, you’re still a target Stiles. We should come with you.” Peter insisted and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“I’m not taking you with me. I’ll do better if I’m not worrying about any of you getting hurt.” 

“So you expect us to wait here instead?” Erica scoffed, “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

“It is.” Stiles said through gritted teeth. “This demon is going to open a portal to Hell if I don’t stop him, and if he finds out about the pack, the first thing he’ll do is get other demons to wipe you out. You’re safer out of the way and I’ve got more chance of succeeding if I’m not watching out for you.” 

“And how are you going to track this thing?” Scott said triumphantly, “If you used scent to find it before and you’re refusing to take Theo then you need at least one of us to come with you so we can track it!” He grinned, happy that Stiles would have to admit defeat and accept their help, Stiles however, rolled his eyes, looking at Scott for a second before his eyes shifted to a bright gold, brighter than the wolves, and he wrinkled his nose slightly. 

“I can enhance my senses too, I just choose not to do it in public because, one, it’s kind of glaringly obvious that there’s something weird about me,” He pointed to his eyes, “And two, I don’t know how you guys manage it, it’s kind of overwhelming all the different scents in one room, definitely easier when there’s only one scent to concentrate on.” Stiles explained. 

“So, is your hearing as good as ours? Sense of smell as good? Can you pick out emotions as well as just basic scents?” Peter quizzed sounding amazed and Stiles pursed his lips for a moment. 

“I think my hearing is reasonably good, I’ve never really tried to see if it’s actually as good as you guys, but, I’d say it’s pretty decent, and, smell, um, well, yeah, emotions, lots of them, like, seriously, you guys are all kind of blurring together with emotions and stuff, like I said, it’s kind of overwhelming, I don’t use it that often, maybe if I used it more regularly then yeah it would be easier, but, again, glowing eyes, they kind of stand out a little bit. But, yes, I can get a sort of read of emotions, or, at the moment, the room as a whole, if you want to go stand in the bathroom and like let me smell you one-by-one then I’d give you a more accurate reading, but, yeah, at the moment, just, overall sense of smell.” Stiles rambled. 

“And how do we smell as a whole?” Erica asked, Stiles missed the smirk she shot in Derek’s direction and he gritted his teeth, it wasn’t his fault that seeing Stiles’ eyes glowing like that seemed to do something to him and all he could think about was Stiles lying in his bed, Derek climbing on top of him, pinning him to the mattress, Stiles’ eyes glowing gold and Derek’s own flashing red in reply, god, the thought of it was making it hard for him to think straight and he knew his arousal was obvious for everyone else in the room, he really didn’t want Stiles to smell that, it would only make things even more awkward between them. 

“I guess,” Stiles hesitated for a second, inhaling slightly, “Um, I think, you smell kind of annoyed, and determined, confused, apprehensive, and,” He wrinkled his nose slightly, his eyes looking around in confusion, “Someone is seriously aroused right now and I don’t know why but, seriously, can whoever it is like tone it down a little bit?” Stiles muttered and Derek did his best not to blush, thankfully, Stiles was looking at Scott who shrugged slightly and Stiles let out a fond chuckle, “Alright, so, we all know that even the threat of Hell on earth isn’t enough to distract Scott from thoughts of sex.” Stiles commented and Scott blushed but didn’t deny it, Allison looking at him in surprise. 

“I’ll explain later.” Scott whispered in her ear and Allison nodded whereas Stiles just shook his head.

“Alright, just do it where I can’t hear, I do not need to hear whatever you plan on ‘explaining’ to her.” He said quietly as he allowed his eyes to fade back to their normal amber, “Point being, I don’t need you guys to be able to track the demon.” 

“No, but, if you don’t let us help, then, we’re coming regardless, the only way to stop me coming after you is to force me, and, you’re the one that told me that ‘forcing someone to do something they don’t want to do is a pretty shit thing to do.’” Erica said and Stiles looked at her with gritted teeth before sighing with frustration. 

“There’s no way you’re going to listen to me when I tell you it’s not safe for you?” Stiles replied. 

“Which means it’s not safe for you either. You’re my family Mica. If you’re doing this then I’m going to be right at your side.” Erica said determinedly and Stiles groaned. 

“Fine. But you’ll be behind me, not at my side. You’re going to stay out of the way, you’re there to watch and see that I’ve got it handled, so you don’t worry, got it?” Stiles said seriously and Erica nodded, a wide grin on her face. 

“And the rest of us?” Lydia asked. 

“I’d really, really appreciate it if the rest of you had some fucking common sense and stayed here.” 

“And if we don’t?” 

“Don’t stay here? Or don’t have common sense?” Stiles remarked and Lydia grinned. 

“We’re coming with you Stiles, all of us, so, tell us what the plan is and we can stick to it.” Lydia said and Stiles knew there was no arguing with her or any of them, he really didn’t like this, if he was at full power then he’d be happy enough to trap them all here and make sure they couldn’t follow after him, but, he wasn’t, and he couldn’t waste magic on doing that when he’d probably need pretty much all of it to defeat the demon.

“Fine, come on then.” Stiles said, admitting defeat and turning towards the door. 

“What? Now? Like right now?” Isaac asked. 

“No time like the present.” Theo replied. 

“Yeah, but, Stiles is still healing, he shouldn’t be going after the demon when he’s not at full power, you said that yourself.” Isaac said. 

“Honestly, Isaac, I’m fine, if you want to worry, worry about yourself, this fucker is fast and dangerous and he’s injured which means he’s going to be even more pissed off than usual.” Stiles explained, “If you want to stay here, I’d be more than happy with that.” 

“No, don’t be stupid, I’m coming with you, I just, I’d prefer you were uninjured before we go fight a pissed off demon.” 

“If I wait until I’m okay then he’ll be okay and he could open the portal.” Stiles said simply, “I finish the job, that’s the way this works, if I go down, Theo finishes the job. If we both go down, you guys run like hell in the opposite direction and get the fuck out of town as fast as you can.” 

“But that’s not going to happen, because you’ve got this?” Noah said, looking at Stiles in uncertainty. 

“Yeah daddio, I’ve got this.” Stiles agreed confidently. 

“Alright, so, what do you want us to do?” Boyd asked as Stiles walked out of the house and along the street, moving towards the preserve. 

“Honestly? Nothing.” Stiles replied, “You guys want to come to see I’m okay, I need you to stay out of the way, like I said, I don’t need the distraction of keeping an eye on you. When we find him you stay back, stay out of the way, and I’ll handle it…”

“We’ll handle it.” Theo interrupted and Stiles rolled his eyes before nodding. 

“Yeah, we’ll handle it. You’re there to put your own minds at ease, if things go sideways, if it ends badly, you haul ass out of there and you don’t look back.” 

“We’re not leaving you.” Erica snapped and Stiles glared at her, stopping still in the middle of the street to look at her.

“You are not to get involved, you understand me? If I think you’re going to jump in and get in the way then I’m not going to be paying attention and I need to pay attention, I can’t afford to be worrying about you. You have to promise me that you’ll stay out of this, otherwise you’re going back to the house and I’m locking you in there.” He scolded and Erica pouted for a moment before nodding. 

“Fine. Fine, I promise I won’t go jumping in like an idiot.” She replied. 

“Good.” Stiles said, glancing to Theo who led the way into the preserve. Derek caught the scent of sulphur when they’d gone about three miles in, he knew they weren’t far from the nemeton and he also knew that Stiles knew that too, nobody had spoken in the past few hundred feet, Stiles and Theo were communicating via hand signals only and Derek only understood what a few of them meant. They came to a stop abruptly, Stiles pressed against one tree, Theo leaning on one at the other side, the pack waiting behind them, waiting to see if this was it, Stiles leaned around the corner of the tree, observing the scene in front of him before turning back to the rest of the pack, he looked pale, tired, and Derek really didn’t like this. 

Stiles glanced at Theo, made some motion with his hands that Derek didn’t understand, Theo replied with his own hand movements and Stiles clenched his fists, shaking his head, looking ready to argue back before Theo moved away, vanishing into another group of trees at the side of them, if Derek concentrated he could just about focus on Theo’s heartbeat moving steadily around the side of the clearing, evidently he was going to attack from the other side, Stiles moved towards the pack, his hands held up telling them to be still, to wait there, then he moved closer to Derek, his lips practically pressed to Derek’s ear.

“If things go wrong get my dad out of here.” He said seriously, pulling away to look Derek in the eyes, Derek stared at him for a moment, losing himself for the briefest second in Stiles’ eyes before he nodded in sincerity, he knew Noah’s life meant everything to Stiles, if Stiles died, and, god that thought made his stomach twist painfully, but, if Stiles died, Derek knew that Stiles would want his dad safe, which meant Derek had to promise him that. 

Stiles took Derek’s brief nod as confirmation that he would look after his dad, that if everything went to Hell, his dad would at least be safe, he gave them all a reassuring grin, everything would be fine, he was just preparing for the worst, he really didn’t like his dad or any of the pack being this close to danger, but, it made him even more determined to succeed, he wasn’t going to let any harm come to them, Erica looked terrified, but he knew it was only fear for his safety, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, gave the rest of them a ridiculous thumbs up combined with a wide grin and then moved away, stepping towards the entrance to the clearing. 

Before he did anything else he used his magic to create a barricade around the clearing, if the demon won, if he opened the portal to Hell before Stiles and Theo could stop him then he wanted to buy his family enough time to get away. As soon as that was in place he allowed his magic to sweep through him, his normal clothes now hidden under the armour that he had conjured, it was only a simple chest plate and arm guards with lightweight chainmail under it, he would have used the full armour, but that would cost more magic and he didn’t know how much else he would need. The silver sword blessed with holy water he had conjured was clenched tightly in his right hand, ready to rend and tear, his eyes were glowing gold and he could feel the aura of magic that flowed in the air around him, he knew it would be visible to the pack behind him and any second now the demon was going to sense it. 

Derek was staring at Stiles in awe, although Stiles had admitted that he had magic, and they’d witnessed him almost losing control of it that morning, Derek wasn’t sure that he’d actually believed Stiles was as powerful as he said, but, seeing it, it was an entirely different thing. Stiles had been dressed normally, in the same clothes he’d been wearing that morning and then suddenly he was kitted out in armour and holding a sword that looked deadly, in fact, Stiles looked deadly, dangerous, fierce, like he was their protector, Derek swallowed, doing his best not to get aroused because that was honestly the last thing they needed, but, he couldn’t help it, Stiles was beautiful. Admittedly, he was kind of terrified of Stiles going up against a demon single-handedly, he didn’t know what Theo was doing but it was Stiles that was going to draw the demon’s attention initially and Derek hated that, it didn’t matter that Stiles had magic, didn’t matter that Stiles could apparently conjure armour to cover himself, all Derek could see was the Stiles he knew, the Stiles whose only defence was sarcasm, the Stiles who seemed to have continuously bad luck, like he was some kind of trouble magnet, and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to charge after Stiles and help him in whatever way he could, instead he stepped closer to the edge of the clearing, still hidden by the trees but at least able to see what was happening in the clearing.

“Hey!” Stiles called out, stepping into the clearing and drawing the demon’s attention. The demon was human shaped but it had a long, pointed, sharp tail that was coated in some kind of poison that had definitely knocked Stiles of his game when it had caught his leg the other day, thankfully he’d been able to get both of them out of there before the demon had finished them off, its skin was inky black, like it was made of smoke and shadows, making it easy to disappear into the shadows and its eyes glowed red, squinting menacingly in Stiles’ direction.

“Aren’t you dead already?” It growled gutturally and Stiles smirked in reply, swinging his sword slightly, making sure to keep the demon’s attention on him.

“I’m harder to kill than you’d think.” Stiles replied. 

“I’ll make sure of it this time, I’ll separate that pretty little head of yours from your body, I’d like to see you survive that.” The demon threatened.

“I’d like to see you try.” Stiles chuckled, shifting his stance slightly as if preparing for attack, and Derek fought back the instinct to throw himself between Stiles and the danger he was facing, no, he had to trust Stiles, he could handle this. 

The demon lunged forward and Derek wanted to scream out a warning, but, Theo burst out of the bushes on the other side of the clearing, leaping towards the demons unprotected back, the demon must have sensed something, it’s tail swinging and catching Theo, knocking him backwards but thankfully not cutting his skin, Stiles rolled his eyes, he’d told Theo that wasn’t going to work! Theo was down on the ground, scrambling to get back up and Stiles growled, wrapping his magic around himself and using it to teleport across the clearing with the tiniest movement of his fingers, practically imperceptible to anyone unless they were concentrating solely on his hands, reappearing between Theo and the demon and swinging his sword, knowing it was going to connect, he allowed his magic to roam free, his hearing, sight and sense of smell enhancing, his speed, agility and strength doubling as the fight began in earnest. 

He teleported again, landing behind the demon and slashing his sword through its tail, it let out a howl of agony and Stiles grinned, knowing he had its full attention and Theo was safe for now, he caught sight of Theo scrambling back to his feet out of the corner of his eye and Stiles managed to dodge the claws that would have caught him across the chest if it hadn’t been for him raising his sword at the last second. The demon swung around towards Theo and Stiles shoved him out of the way at the last second, he was too slow to stop the claws that raked across his arm although he dodged the set that threatened to tear through his throat. 

Theo was back up on his feet again and he charged at the demon, he would have connected except the demon created a portal at the last second and Theo stumbled through it, reappearing at the other end of the clearing looking confused for a second before he turned back and raced towards the demon again. 

The pack watched on in awe, they’d never seen anything so incredible before, Stiles was like a whirlwind, vanishing from one spot and reappearing in another only moments later, his sword clashing dangerously against the claws of the demon, just when Stiles seemed to be getting close the demon would create a portal and reappear at the other end of the clearing or behind Theo or just out of the reach of Stiles’ sword. The longer the fight went on the more obvious it became that Stiles and Theo were losing, Theo had gone down hard a few minutes ago and hadn’t moved since, Stiles was busy trying to kill the demon but still protect Theo’s unconscious form and it was obvious that the demon was taking advantage of that. 

The demon caught Stiles’ sword on its next stroke, grabbing it and ripping it from Stiles’ grip, throwing it clear across the ground, Stiles stumbled back a step, narrowly avoiding the claws that ripped through his chest plate and chainmail and missed his skin by millimetres. He teleported out of the way, exhaustion ripping through him but knowing he couldn’t quit, he had to beat this thing, he could beat it, he knew he could. 

The demon turned back towards Theo, going to finish the job and Stiles snarled, snatching up his sword and teleporting back with a roar, getting between the demon and Theo, protecting him as best he could, he let out a pained grunt when another set of claws raked his thigh and he couldn’t get out of the way in time so that the next thing he was aware of was being thrown through the air, landing across the clearing and doing his best to get back to his feet, before he could get upright the demon grabbed his ankle and threw him back in the opposite direction, Stiles coughed and spat out the dirt that filled his mouth, scrambling back to his feet and conjuring up a baseball bat, spitting out blood and squaring his shoulders.

“Come on then.” Stiles called, waving his baseball threateningly, “I thought you were going to kill me! You’re doing a pretty poor job of it, I mean, my head’s still attached!” Stiles jeered and the demon growled. 

“Smart mouth for a stupid little human.” The demon snarled. 

“You should see what else I can do with it.” Stiles replied lightly and the demon lunged, Stiles swung the bat with unerring precision, its head snapping backwards violently, it went down hard and Stiles stumbled forward, grabbing his sword, knowing he needed it to kill the demon. 

“Stiles!” Erica shouted in warning and Stiles glanced around, managing to roll out of the way of the claws that would have torn his head off, the demon’s attention turned to Erica and it moved towards her, growling when it hit the invisible barrier and bounced off it even as the entire pack took a step backwards away from the demon. Stiles called out to it, taunting it, diverting its attention from the pack and back on Stiles, the fight resumed, the demon snarling and cursing and doing all he could to rip Stiles’ head clean from his body, and Stiles was only just avoiding it actually happening, what he really needed was for Theo to wake up so he could at least stop wasting energy protecting him, he knew the code, the law he was supposed to follow, finish the job, no matter what, but he couldn’t let this demon kill Theo just because he didn’t have spare magic to waste.

He knew that he could drop the magic protective barrier, that doing that would free up some of his magic, but, if he did that, the pack wouldn’t be protected from the demon, and he couldn’t allow that. He swung his bat again, hitting his target but not hard enough to put it down, Stiles was grabbed again and thrown through the air again, landing badly and hearing his arm crack and break under the impact, he cursed quietly, knowing he didn’t have time to feel the pain, he had to get back up, he could hear Erica shouting for him to get back up, but he was tired, he was exhausted, he couldn’t quit, he had to protect the pack, protect everyone, this demon would kill everyone he cared about if he didn’t stop it. 

He pushed himself back up, assessing the clearing quickly, teleporting to his sword and snatching it up instantly, it wasn’t quick enough though and the demon grabbed his arm and flung him into the nearest tree, Stiles felt his ribs crack, the air was knocked out of him and he coughed up blood, spitting it out and clambering back to his feet, using the trunk as his support.

“Getting tired yet human?” The demon taunted, “Want me to end it for you? I’ll make it quick, but not painless, I’ll make you feel every second of agony.” 

“I’m just getting warmed up.” Stiles replied, calling to his magic, letting it flow through him, surround him, he slammed his hands down into the ground and a wall of dirt shot upwards, getting bigger like some kind of tsunami until it hit the demon and he vanished from view, Stiles knew it wouldn’t be that easy though and he was proved right, the demon reappeared through a portal right in front of Stiles and suddenly there was a hand wrapped around his throat, Stiles couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight, he grabbed at the demons hands, sent fire racing through his palms and the demon threw him backwards as he tried to stop the burning that Stiles had inflicted. 

Stiles landed hard and he felt his magic collapse, the protective barrier collapsing, he knew it was over, knew he was going to die, knew he could take the demon with him but he needed to buy enough time for the pack to get away, once they were clear of the area, he could convert his magic into a bomb, blowing himself and the demon up, it was the only option he had left, he knew he couldn’t beat it as it was, his magic was beginning to fail and he was exhausted, he didn’t have the strength to win, but he could find the strength to hold it off until the pack were safe. 

“Run!” He called to Erica, turning his attention back to the demon, snatching up his sword and holding it steady, he needed to hold it off, he needed to give them time to get away. A shot rang out and struck the demon in his chest, the demon snarled and both it and Stiles turned to look at the source of the shot, Noah was standing at the edge of the trees, the rest of the pack at his side, his gun pointed steadily at the demon. 

“Get the hell away from my son you bastard!” Noah growled and Stiles groaned, this was not what he wanted to happen. The pack charged forwards and Stiles scooped up his sword, his strength renewed, he couldn’t let the pack get hurt because of this, Erica went down first, thrown backwards into Boyd and Cora, Malia managed to get some claws in the demons leg before it threw her into the nearest tree and she went down hard, the demon created multiple portals, transporting the pack around the clearing so that they were all left confused, Derek roared and shoved Stiles out of the way of oncoming claws, getting himself thrown backwards into the trees, so far that he vanished from view, Stiles snarled, nobody hurt his friends, he was going to kill this demon. 

His dad let off another shot and the demon growled, digging the bullet from its chest and dropping it to the floor while staring at Noah, the demon created a portal and Stiles knew it would be going straight for his father, he tackled it from behind, falling through the portal with it, landing on the ground in front of Noah fifty feet away, Stiles had luckily landed on top and he plunged the sword downwards, the demon let out a scream of pain and Stiles forced the sword deeper until it hit the ground underneath it. The demon screamed and writhed in agony and Stiles clung on tightly, pinning it in place until, eventually, what felt like hours later, the demon stilled and its body turned to ash beneath Stiles. The instant the demon was dead Stiles felt like he could pass out, his limbs were shaking, his muscles ached, his whole body throbbed with pain and each breath felt like something was stabbing into his chest, he ignored the hands that reached out for him, getting to his feet unsteadily, using his sword to keep himself upright as he looked around, the pack were all okay, they were all there, there were a few cuts and bruises but they were already healing, in fact, the only person was…Stiles’ eyes landed on the still form of Theo and he felt his heart clench, god, if Theo was dead, he couldn’t lose anyone else, not after Steph, he couldn’t be responsible for somebody else’s death. He stumbled towards Theo, he let go of his magic that had been keeping the armour in place, it vanishing back into nothingness as he collapsed to the ground next to Theo. 

“Theo? Theo? You alive?” Stiles said, reaching out and rolling Theo onto his back, pressing his fingers to Theo’s neck and letting out a sigh of relief when he felt Theo’s pulse beating steadily under his fingertips. “Oh thank god.” Stiles said, falling flat on his back and letting out a pained groan at the impact. 

“Stiles?” Derek’s voice was coming from close by and Stiles realised he must have closed his eyes at some point, he blinked slowly, looking up to see Derek’s worried features hovering over him, his face relaxing slightly when he saw Stiles was awake, “That thing is dead? Right? It’s not going to come back and create a portal to Hell?” 

“No. It’s dead.” Stiles replied, his throat feeling raw as if he had been screaming, maybe he had been, he couldn’t remember, everything had just been such a blur, just the constant mantra of finish the job, protect them, finish the job, kill the demon, protect them, keep them alive. 

“Okay, good, let’s get you home okay?” Derek said and Stiles nodded, groaning as he sat up and his ribs protested, glancing across at Theo, “He’s okay, his heartbeat is steady, he just took a good hit, that’s all.” 

“Alright.” Stiles mumbled, he trusted Derek would tell him if Theo was actually close to dying, not that Stiles could do much about it, as it was he felt like he could happily lie down and die. He tried to get to his feet and glanced at Derek gratefully when the Alpha grabbed his elbow and held him upright. 

“Mica, you okay?” Erica asked, grabbing his other elbow and Stiles nodded but stopped abruptly when his head felt like it was going to split open. 

“Nice shooting dad.” Stiles commented and Noah grinned proudly. 

“Nice sword work.” Noah replied, “And you’ve gotten better with the earth thing too.” 

“Wait until you see what I can do with water.” Stiles responded and Noah smiled, tears in his eyes. 

“I’m so glad you are alright kiddo, I thought I was going to lose you for a minute there.” Noah admitted tearfully. 

“Me too.” Stiles said, moving out of the grip Derek had on his elbow in order to pull his dad into a one-armed hug, “I fucking knew that plan wasn’t going to work.” Stiles muttered. 

“Well why do it then? I thought you were the senior agent, you made the plans?” 

“Yeah, well, my plan nearly got me gutted last night, Theo wanted to try his plan, although, if he’d stuck to my plan last night then it wouldn’t have been an issue.” Stiles said, pulling away from his dad and wobbling slightly on the spot. “Hey!” Stiles called, prodding Theo with his foot, “Wake up!” 

“Stiles, he’s unconscious.” Erica muttered in amusement. 

“So? Idiot! Wake up!” Stiles said a little louder, prodding Theo in the side with his toe again smirking slightly when Theo’s eyes twitched slightly and then he startled upright, looking around for the demon, and then registering that Stiles was next to him. 

“You okay?” Theo asked, getting to his feet and gripping Stiles’ arm, studying the injuries he had suffered and frowning. 

“I told you it wasn’t going to work.” Stiles said and Theo laughed with disbelief before pulling Stiles into a hug, Stiles hugged him back just as hard and it was obvious that both of them were just relieved to be alive. 

“Sorry.” Theo muttered before he looked around the clearing, “What happened? Did it escape?” 

“Nah, it’s dead.” Stiles replied, wincing slightly at the pain in his side. 

“Stiles stabbed it with the sword and it just sort of turned to ash!” Scott said excitedly, “And, oh my god, I didn’t know you could teleport, that was awesome, you just like, whoosh and then you were behind him and it was so freaking awesome dude! And what about what you did with the earth, that like tsunami thing, that was freaking cool, you’re such a badass!” Scott praised and Stiles blushed slightly, ducking his gaze and staring at the floor instead. 

“I, um, have my moments I guess.” Stiles mumbled sounding exhausted. 

“We should get you home so you can heal.” Noah said, studying the exhaustion on his son’s face, he’d known what Stiles was saying when he told them to run, he knew that if he had run the last time he would have seen his son was when that demon was stalking towards him, Stiles had been going to lose, Noah knew that, all he’d been doing was giving them a chance to escape, to get away, and Noah would have rather died today then left his son to die at the hands of that demon, not if he could even try to do something about it. He knew Derek had been torn about what to do, every part of him had wanted to help Stiles, but, Stiles had asked him to get Noah out of there and how could Derek not follow out Stiles’ last request to him? Noah had taken the choice out of Derek’s hands, there was no way he was running away and leaving his son to die, it wasn’t happening, he wasn’t going to allow it, so he’d fired his gun at the demon, knowing it wasn’t going to do any good but at least believing he was making some difference, and then the pack had all attacked. 

Noah was relieved that nobody was seriously injured, other than Stiles, the way that he was holding his arm close to his side made Noah think either his arm or ribs or both were broken, but, they were all alive and the demon was dead and Noah wasn’t sure what more he could ask for, for now the threat was gone and his son was alive.


	7. Chapter 7

Stiles was limping back through the preserve, it was slow going, now that the battle was over all he wanted to do was sleep, instead they had another three miles to go before they got back to the streets of Beacon Hills and Stiles wasn’t sure he was going to make it that far, Erica was gripping his good arm tightly, making sure he stayed upright, Theo was hovering at his other side, looking tired but otherwise okay, Stiles hated werewolf healing, he wished he could heal like that, Theo had been out for at least fifteen minutes and he was already completely healed, Stiles was so fucking jealous of that ability, it wasn’t fair, instead he was going to have to have plenty of alone time over the next few days and even then he wouldn’t be back to normal. 

Stiles managed to make it another half mile before he admitted defeat, he was too tired, he needed to either sleep or give himself an energy boost, he glanced around, it wasn’t like there was a whole lot of places where he could get some privacy, but, the only other option was to pass out where he stood and that would just be embarrassing. 

“You guys go ahead, I need to rest.” Stiles admitted quietly and everyone stilled in their tracks. 

“I’ll give you a piggyback.” Scott offered helpfully and Stiles shook his head. 

“Not that kind of rest buddy.” Stiles replied with a slight blush on his cheeks. 

“Oh, right, right, well, um, there’s some bushes over there, we can, we’ll just wait here.” Scott stammered, cheeks blushing brightly and Stiles looked ready to protest but Erica was already steering him in that direction, Theo following after them, Noah excusing himself to head back towards the house which Stiles was going to be eternally grateful for. 

“Take some of my energy if you prefer? It’d be easier for you?” Theo suggested and Stiles shook his head determinedly. 

“No. It’s fine, I can, um, I’ll just do this instead.” He said, moving behind one of the trees and leaning his back against it, trying not to think about the pain he was in, or the fact the pack were all nearby and knew exactly what he was doing, he just needed to think about getting the boost to his energy, that would heal him at least partially, he grimaced as he unbuckled his trousers, his arm was throbbing angrily and a couple of fingers on his other hand were black with bruising, he didn’t remember hurting them, but, then a lot of the fight had just been move, swing, move, stab, move, fight, he wasn’t surprised he couldn’t remember hurting his hand. He reached into his trousers, closing his eyes to try and will himself into arousal, except his fingers protested the movement and his other arm was broken so there was no way he was using that to do anything, “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Stiles muttered in betrayal, he couldn’t even use his hands, this was a nightmare. 

“Everything okay batman?” Erica called from nearby and Stiles felt like bursting into tears, instead he gritted his teeth, buckled his jeans back up and tried not to punch the tree with frustration and exhaustion, he reappeared back from behind the tree and Erica raised an eyebrow in question and Stiles held up his hands, showing his battered fingers.

“I can’t use my hands properly.” He muttered in annoyance and Erica smirked. 

“Want to borrow one of mine?” She replied and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Not the time for joking.” He grimaced, moving back towards the pack and trying to feel like every step wasn’t filled with a throbbing agony. 

“I’m not joking Mica.” Erica replied, “You’re on the verge of passing out, so, either let me help, or we wait until you pass out and then I have to get naked and rub all up on you again. Your choice.” 

“I’ll manage.” Stiles said through gritted teeth, walking past the stunned pack, his head pounding, his pulse beating so loudly in his ears that it felt like his head was going to explode from the noise of it. 

“Alright be that way.” Erica shrugged, Stiles had barely got more than five steps when his legs wobbled and he had to brace himself on the nearest tree to keep himself upright, his energy levels were decreasing rapidly, his legs had turned to jelly, like they wouldn’t keep him upright as soon as he moved away from the tree, Erica huffed in annoyance and Stiles glared at her. 

“I’m fine.” He replied, even as his vision wavered slightly. 

“Enough is enough.” Cora snapped, pushing forward and suddenly her lips were pressed against Stiles’, it took him a second to realise what was happening and then he pushed Cora backwards as forcefully as he could, staring at her in disbelief.

“What the hell was that!?” He asked in shock. 

“You need energy, take some of mine. It’s not complicated.” Cora said, moving forwards again and Stiles held up a hand to stop her. 

“I’m not taking your energy, it could kill you.” Stiles hissed in despair, he couldn’t believe Cora would even suggest it, god he was so tired, maybe he could just sit down for five minutes, take a break, close his eyes, rest.

“…iles?” Stiles blinked his eyes open, saw that Isaac was standing next to him, staring at him in worry, god, he must be a hell of a lot weaker than he thought, in fact, he was pretty sure Erica was right, he was going to pass out, he knew it, his gaze went to her and she smirked knowingly at him. 

“Ready to accept a hand yet?” She asked and Stiles gritted his teeth. 

“You’re not giving me a hand job, god knows this is already embarrassing enough, I do not need to be scarred by that for the rest of my life.” Stiles replied still leaning heavily on the tree. 

“You’d prefer someone else to do it?” Erica said and Stiles shook his head, rolling his eyes and praying for strength. 

“I’d prefer my hands fucking working.” He growled. 

“Just take some of my energy Stiles, just this once, I trust you.” Theo said and Stiles clenched his teeth. 

“I could actually be tempted to agree with you on that…” Stiles began.

“Great, let’s do it then!” Theo said excitedly. 

“Yeah, except I can’t get at the tattoo right now.” He explained, the tattoo was located just below his shoulder blade and to be able to touch it and activate it he needed to be able to twist which with his arm and ribs protesting as brutally as they were then there was no chance he was going to be able to do it without passing out from the pain first. 

“I told you to put it somewhere with easier access but, no, you have to think you’re being smart all the time.” Theo grumbled.

“It was so I couldn’t use it accidently, that it would only be used in an emergency.” Stiles muttered.

“Alright, well, kiss me then.” Theo added, stepping towards Stiles who looked at him nervously. 

“You’re already weakened, still healing from the concussion and the fact you were unconscious for at least fifteen minutes, you should conserve your strength.” Peter commented and Theo rolled his eyes.

“I’m fine.” 

“Peter’s right, you were hurt, you shouldn’t do this.” Allison interrupted, she wasn’t an idiot, it was obvious that Peter wasn’t letting Theo go near Stiles because of Derek’s feelings for him, she wasn’t sure how well Derek would cope with seeing Theo kissing Stiles right now, he looked pretty on edge as it was. 

“And you’re volunteering instead?” Theo sneered. 

“Let’s not start an argument about this.” Cora snapped, “I wasn’t too badly hurt in the fight, take some of mine.” 

“Neither was I.” Isaac added. 

“Or me.” Boyd agreed.

“Wow, just lining up to make out with me, who knew?” Stiles joked, his voice cracking with pain as his energy levels dropped even further and his vision darkened for a second, probably from blood loss, god, he needed to do this, but, he felt horrible about it, he didn’t ever want to drain somebody of their energy, he’d managed to avoid it for the past two years, since he found out what he could do, and, within a day of the pack finding out, he was actually considering doing it. 

“Shut up Stiles.” Peter growled, rolling his eyes before marching forward and staring at Stiles, “You’re going to take some of my energy, and I know you don’t want to do it, I’m assuming because you’re scared of killing someone, but, if there’s anyone here that you’re least likely to mind accidently killing, it’s me, so, take my energy because I’m not going to stop kissing you until you do, which we both know you don’t want to happen.” He said determinedly before pulling Stiles into a kiss, Stiles spluttered in shock for a second before he closed his eyes and concentrated on reaching for the smallest bit of Peter’s energy, as soon as he felt it he pulled it into his own body, stopping the flow after only a second and then pulling away. “Is that it?” Peter asked, still looking perfectly relaxed, “You still look like you’re ready to pass out? Do you need more?” 

“I’m…I don’t want to take too much.” Stiles admitted, Peter had been right in the sense that Stiles had been terrified of taking too much, of accidently killing someone, but, he’d done it with Peter and Peter was okay, and, Stiles felt almost a little better about the whole kissing for energy thing, he’d been so scared for so long, convinced that he wouldn’t have any control over it, that he’d kill, except, he hadn’t, he hadn’t even hurt Peter, it was kind of a good feeling, he just wished he felt better from the pain and exhaustion that was running through his body. 

“Simple, take some of mine next.” Isaac said, moving between Peter and Stiles. 

“I don’t think…” Stiles began weakly, feeling a little like he might be sick from how weak he felt. 

“Stiles, unless you’re about to tell me you’re absolutely fine and you don’t need it, then, you can take some, it’s okay.” Isaac reassured him, “Besides, you’ve already kissed my girlfriend, it’s only fair I get to kiss you too.” He joked and Stiles let out a surprised chuckle. 

“Right, um, yeah, okay.” Stiles said uncertainly, still caught off guard when Isaac kissed him, pressing their lips together, Stiles repeated his earlier actions, accepting the smallest bit of Isaac’s energy before he cut off the flow again, terrified of accidently killing him by taking too much energy. 

“You can take more.” Isaac said, moving back to kiss Stiles again as soon as Stiles broke the kiss. 

“Woah, my turn.” Cora said, shoving her hand between Isaac and Stiles and shoving Isaac out of the way. 

“Hang on…” Stiles said before Cora was pushing him into the bark of the tree and kissing him again, again he concentrated on taking the smallest bit of energy he could before cutting off the flow and pulling away from her. 

“Hey, you got two kisses! That means I get two!” Isaac argued and Cora smirked at him. 

“He didn’t take any energy the first time, actually, I’m not one hundred percent sure you took any the second time either?” Cora asked and Stiles nodded in surprise. 

“I did.” He confirmed. 

“Alright, well, you need to take more because you still look like you’re going to fall over.” Cora said moving back towards Stiles.

“Hang on, don’t I get a go?” Scott said and Stiles felt his stomach lurch slightly at the thought of kissing Scott. 

“I think I’m feeling okay now.” Stiles lied, trying to push away from the tree and grabbing hold of the nearest person as his legs buckled.

“Idiot.” Erica said fondly before she kissed him too. It wasn’t that Stiles minded all the kissing, honestly, it was kind of nice that people were kissing him just to help him rather than because they were a target that Stiles was hunting, but, it felt a little weird, because Cora and Isaac were arguing over who got to kiss him again and Erica was kissing him while Boyd watched and Peter had kissed him which was just mind blowing because, seriously, Peter had tried to kill him multiple times and now he was kissing him, and Scott was offering and it all just felt a little overwhelming. He broke the kiss with Erica a moment later and before he could even say thanks Boyd’s lips were on his own. Stiles pulled the barest amount of energy from him, breaking the kiss as soon as he could, giving him a small, grateful smile. Kira was next, giving him a brief, sweet kiss that Stiles appreciated, the pounding in his head was beginning to lessen now, he thought he could probably make it home before he passed out, he was about to say as much before Scott grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and started kissing him. 

Stiles was mildly impressed by Scott’s kissing technique, admittedly it wasn’t as good at Derek’s or Cora’s or Peter’s, he wondered if it was a Hale thing, but, still, it was pretty decent, he could totally understand why Allison was head over heels for him, he broke the kiss a moment later and Scott was looking at him with wide, fearful eyes, as if afraid Stiles was going to pass out.

“You didn’t have to use tongue.” Stiles muttered quietly which Scott blushed at, but he still grinned at Stiles.

“Wait, if he got to use tongue then I need another go.” Isaac whined and Stiles shook his head in bemusement.

“I can make it back to the house now, thanks for the offer and everything but…”

“No fair, I didn’t get a go!” Allison complained.

“Really, it’s okay, you don’t all need to kiss…” Stiles started, his words cut off when Lydia locked their lips together, Stiles was nervous about pulling energy from her, she wasn’t a werewolf and the difference in their energies was obvious, he took a smaller amount from her and then broke the kiss. 

“Seriously!?” Allison muttered looking murderous, Stiles was about to say it was fine, that he was fine, when Malia grabbed his hair and pulled him into a kiss, it was rougher than any of the others and he figured that was because she was still a little wild at times, but, it solidified his earlier thoughts.

“Definitely a Hale thing.” He muttered when he broke the kiss a moment later.

“What?” Malia looked at him in confusion and Stiles blushed, not realising he’d spoken out loud.

“Nothing, nothing, it’s fine. Anyway, I feel much better now so can we please go back to the house?” Stiles asked. 

“No, nope, no way, I’m not being the only one here who hasn’t got to kiss you!” Allison seethed, storming towards Stiles and wrapping her hands around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss, it was surprisingly tender considering the determination with which she’d initiated the kiss and Stiles could imagine perfectly how Scott and Allison would slot their mouths together. He pulled away after a few seconds. “Did you even take any energy?” Allison asked and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah a bit.” 

“I’ve got more, I’m fine Stiles, you need more, you still look ready to pass out.” Allison said looking worried.

“And here I was thinking you were just excited to kiss me again.” Stiles said sarcastically and Allison laughed, hitting him playfully in the shoulder. 

“Well, if you’re all done making out with Stiles.” Theo grumbled.

“I’d hardly call it making out…” Isaac said.

“Apart from Scott’s tongue down my throat.” Stiles interrupted. 

“Yeah, well, apart from that, which was completely unfair, I didn’t realise we were going for full on kissing, I thought it was just supposed to be a peck, which means I should get another chance…” Isaac started.

“I really don’t need any more…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you still need plenty more energy, you’re just not willing to take it now you’re not about to pass out.” Erica scolded. 

“I’m not willing to take it in case I kill one of you!” Stiles replied heatedly. 

“Well then we’re fine because I have loads of energy.” Isaac said, grabbing Stiles’ neck while he was looking at Erica and pulling him into another kiss, this one was deeper, harder and definitely involved tongue, Stiles pulled a little more energy from him, enough that his ribs stopped screaming at him every time he breathed and then he broke the kiss, putting a hand on Isaac’s chest to push him gently away. “Okay, so, who is better? Me or Cora?” 

“Are you guys this competitive about everything?” Stiles asked. 

“No, I didn’t use tongue, that doesn’t count!” Cora said, jumping forward and pulling Stiles into another kiss, Stiles squeaked in surprise, he really needed to put a stop to this now, he pushed Cora away as soon as he’d drawn the energy from her, terrified of taking too much. “Okay, now, which one of us is better?” She smirked.

“Are we not going with who is the best out of the whole pack?” Peter commented. 

“Well then we all have to kiss with tongue.” Erica agreed. 

“Guys, I’m okay to get home now, I really don’t need any more energy.” Stiles attempted but it was like nobody heard him.

“Well Cora, Isaac and Scott have already done it.” Boyd supplied.

“Yeah but mine doesn’t count, I wasn’t really trying.” Scott chipped in. 

“Guys!” Stiles protested.

“So what? Are we doing like scores out of ten?” Lydia said excitedly, “Because we all know he’s giving me a ten.” She said confidently. 

“Okay, seriously, I don’t need…” 

“Shut up Stiles!” Malia snapped before pulling him into another kiss, Stiles was getting seriously fed up of all the pulling and kissing, he wasn’t going to complain about the energy, honestly, he was grateful for it and glad that his body wasn’t screaming in agony, he was even more glad he hadn’t killed any of them, hadn’t even seemed to weaken any of them, but, really, he wasn’t even going to complain about all the kissing, not really, it was just the kind of idea that they weren’t even aware of the fact they were kissing him, like he wasn’t even present in it, and, it was bringing back memories of his time spent with Alex and the elves which he really didn’t enjoy thinking about. 

“Okay, seriously, enough…” Stiles said as soon as the kiss ended. 

“Out of ten?” Malia asked and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“I’m not doing this.” Stiles complained, “You will all just get offended or upset or whatever, it’s stupid and I’m tired and I want to go home.” 

“Come on Stiles, is Malia better that me?” Scott asked and Stiles sighed heavily. 

“Enough.” Derek snapped. He’d remained silent until now, trying to control his jealousy as he watched members of his pack kiss Stiles, kiss his mate, he thought he was handling it pretty well, knowing Stiles needed the energy in order to heal, in order to stop himself from passing out, more than anything he wanted to march up to Stiles, to kiss him, to give him as much energy as he needed to heal, but he was afraid that he would never stop kissing Stiles, that he wouldn’t be able to stop kissing him, that if he started he wouldn’t ever stop and Stiles would hate him for it. 

The pack had obviously picked up on his jealously and they were practically taunting him, trying to provoke him into acting, into declaring his feelings for Stiles and taking his mate as his own, Derek wasn’t going to do it, Stiles deserved to be wooed, courted, Derek needed to show him how much he cared about him and kissing him now, it wouldn’t help, Stiles would think he was doing it just to give him energy and that wasn’t what Derek wanted, he wanted to kiss Stiles, wanted to hold him, spend every minute for the rest of his life making sure Stiles knew just how loved he was.

The only consolation that Derek had was that Theo’s jealously was even more obvious than his own, he looked on the verge of shifting and tearing his claws through the next person that touched Stiles, although Derek did find some amusement in Theo’s jealously, he also didn’t want the pack to end up getting into a fight over this so it was time to put an end to it. 

“You heard Stiles, he’s fine. Stop it.” Derek ordered and the pack all sobered, looking at Derek and then at Theo, noticing just how close he was to losing control before they all nodded tightly.

“Alright, if you’re sure you’re okay?” Isaac asked and Stiles nodded, he was still exhausted, he wanted to sleep for a month and he definitely still had several broken bones and deep cuts, but, he could no longer hear his pulse beating in his eardrums and he could stand without feeling like he was going to fall over. 

“I’m fine.” Stiles mumbled embarrassed, he really didn’t need Derek fighting his battles for him, he just wanted to sleep and forget this day had ever happened. 

“Come on, let’s get you home, have you at least got enough energy to, you know, give yourself a boost?” Erica asked and Stiles grimaced, clenching and unclenching his fists, whimpering as his fingers throbbed painfully.

“Maybe.” Stiles replied. 

“My earlier offer still stands.” She smirked taking his elbow and leading him back towards his house.

“Yeah and after that debacle there’s no chance in hell you’re giving me a hand job, it’ll end up in some kind of competition over who can give me the best orgasm.” Stiles muttered.

“Don’t be silly, we all know it won’t be any kind of competition, I’ll win, hands down. Why? Do you have a problem with that?” Erica laughed.

“Oddly enough I tend to like having a say in who gives me orgasms.” Stiles joked and Erica shook her head in bemusement before continuing back to the house, ignoring the scent of arousal and jealously that flooded through the air from behind her where Derek and Theo both stood. 

Stiles headed up to the bathroom, having a long shower that cleaned the blood, dirt and sweat from his body, it was only when he was clean that he realised just how badly he was injured, his ribs on his left side were black with bruising, definitely broken, there were several claw marks across his stomach, thigh and arms, one of his arms was broken, three of his fingers on his other hand were fractured at the very least and he’d taken at least a few bumps to the head, he could feel them under his fingers when he ran them through his hair, he had a couple of grazes on his cheek where he’d obviously scraped it against something rough during the fight. The claw marks had faded slightly, they were no longer bleeding, scabbing over rather than the fresh blood that had been there previously, the wounds were better than they had been but he was still exhausted, he just wanted to rest. He threw on some clothes, moving towards his bedroom, where he fully intended to collapse onto the bed and not move for the next three days, when his phone started ringing, the council’s head office number flashing up on his screen. 

“Agent Stilinski speaking.” He answered. 

“We’re awaiting an update on the assignment.” The voice on the other end of the phone said and Stiles relaxed, recognising it as Steve, one of the few members of the council that Stiles actually got on with. 

“Yes sir.” Stiles replied, “The target was eliminated.” He said formally, rolling his eyes when Cora appeared on the stairs and waved for him to come down to the living room. 

“Injuries?” Steve asked. 

“Nothing permanent sir.” Stiles answered as he moved into the living room, the pack were all settled around the room, looking like they were all ready for sleep too, Stiles was so tired, god, he was so tired, he could barely see straight, he just wanted to sleep. 

“I know you Stilinski, how bad is the damage?” Steve remarked. 

“A few broken bones, nothing major.” 

“Take time to recover properly this time, I’ll send you the recent case files we have, something to keep you busy while you’re healing.” Steve said and Stiles nodded.

“Yes sir.” He said, ignoring the way Erica mimed a salute at him. 

“Stilinski, something for you to think about.”

“Yes sir?” Stiles queried, trying to get his brain to focus on anything other than pain and exhaustion, trying to concentrate on what Steve was saying. 

“Beacon Hills is now without a council member watching over it. Perhaps you’d consider taking up the mantle?” 

“I, um, I…” Stiles was speechless, he didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t answer me now Stilinski, you’re a good field agent and I don’t want to lose that, but, you’d also be in a great position there, you have an in with the sheriff and the local pack, you could be a real asset to us there, we’d still require you to be on call for any assignments in the surrounding areas, but, you could do a lot of good there, but I’ll leave the choice to you.”

“Sir, I don’t know what to…”

“No, Stiles, take a few days, heal properly, I want you back at one hundred percent before I send you out anywhere else, I want you alive for as long as I possibly can, you’re too valuable to end up dead.”

“Thanks.” Stiles muttered. 

“No, thank you Stilinski, you did a good job today, you should be proud, you and Raeken.” 

“Thank you sir, I’ll be sure to tell him.” Stiles said.

“Good, next check in scheduled for forty-eight hours, until then, rest, heal.” 

“Yes sir.” Stiles agreed, clicking his watch to remind him and disconnecting the phone. 

“Look at you, sounding all official and shit.” Malia commented and Stiles shrugged, sinking into the nearest sofa in exhaustion. 

“So, they want you to stay in town?” Erica grinned happily and Stiles nodded, he was too tired to think about that at the moment, yeah, it would be nice to be home, to actually be around his dad and his friends, but, he didn’t know that it was the best thing, for starters he knew Derek didn’t want him around the pack and since they’d found out he had magic they hadn’t been away from him, he didn’t want to force Derek into accepting him into the pack and, sticking around in Beacon Hills, always being on the outskirts, spending time with them but not actually being pack, would be hard. Then there was Theo, Stiles wasn’t sure how the other man would feel about settling in Beacon Hills or if he wouldn’t settle here at all, in all fairness Stiles wasn’t that bothered about what Theo wanted to do, so long as he was happy, but, Theo had got used to the information the council provided and if Stiles stopped doing assignments with him, Theo would be cut off from that information. Maybe Stiles could request that the council take Theo in as a student, after all, he did have a bit of pull with them and Theo could learn from them, but, he didn’t know if Theo would even want that. Regardless, it was too much for Stiles to think about right now, he was exhausted, all he wanted to do was sleep, as it was even going upstairs to his bed felt like it was going to be too much effort, maybe if he just closed his eyes for a few minutes. 

He hadn’t realised he had fallen asleep until he was startled awake by lips against his own and a tongue forcing its way into his mouth, he shoved roughly against the person kissing him, his mind still half asleep as he imagined Alex grabbing at him, groping him, telling Stiles about all the ways he was going to fuck him, rape him, how he was going to keep him around after they’d drained his magic as his sex slave, Stiles panicked, shoving harder against the body in front of him, his eyes shooting open and registering that it was Peter and calming slightly. 

“You need more energy, take it.” Peter offered and Stiles shoved him gently away. 

“I’m fine, just tired.” Stiles mumbled.

“Well if you take some energy you’ll heal quicker and then you wouldn’t need as much sleep.” Peter said reasonably. 

“I think you just enjoy kissing me.” Stiles replied, closing his eyes to go back to sleep. 

“Well you’re not the worst kisser I’ve ever experienced.” Peter chuckled before kissing Stiles again, Stiles took a little of his energy before pushing him away with a grateful sigh.

“Is there like a Hale kissing club you all attended or something?” Stiles mumbled, already on the verge of sleep again. 

“Hale kissing club?” Cora asked with a grin. 

“Yeah, you all do that weird little flicky thing with your tongues.” Stiles said, his voice trailing off as he drifted towards sleep oblivious to the way Peter, Cora and Malia all looked at each other before turning wide eyes to Derek who was staring at the now sleeping Stiles. 

The rest of the pack were all smirking, grinning and on the verge on bursting into full blown laughter, Noah rolled his eyes and moved towards the kitchen muttering how he really didn’t need to know that much about his sons kissing experiences, it was enough to break Allison who had been biting her knuckles to stop herself from laughing, shaking in her seat, as soon as Noah had left the room she couldn’t stop it any longer, she was practically crying with laughter and it was enough to set off the rest of the pack who were all looking at the four Hales, they were still staring at each other in astonishment. 

The only one who wasn’t laughing was Theo, he was standing at the side of the room, leaning against the wall and looking at the pack in annoyance, his gaze drifting to Stiles on a regular basis, Derek was aware of Theo’s presence, he knew the werewolf wasn’t happy, that he wanted to be closer to Stiles, that he wanted him to himself, well, Derek was happy enough to ruin Theo’s plans. 

“Come on.” Derek said, indicating the sleeping Stiles, “He needs to heal, that means puppy pile.” He explained and Theo growled. 

“He’ll heal just fine with me.” Theo snapped. 

“He’ll heal better with more people next to him, you know that.” Erica replied. 

“He doesn’t need that, he just needs me.” 

“We both know you need him a hell of a lot more than he needs you.” Erica remarked, “Now, you’ve got two choices, go upstairs to bed, alone, or stay down here and join in the puppy pile, it’s up to you, but, either way, Stiles is staying here with us where he’ll heal quicker.” Theo pursed his lips, obviously thinking through his options, he actually looked like he was contemplating starting a fight over it, before he realised that he wouldn’t win and he nodded tightly, gritting his teeth. 

“Fine.” He grumbled in annoyance. 

“Mica,” Erica whispered, shaking Stiles slightly to wake him up, “Come on sweetie, wake up.” 

“Wh’t?” Stiles mumbled sleepily. 

“Come on Mica, time to get all snuggly with us.” Erica said and Stiles blinked at her a few times. “Puppy pile, you’ll heal quicker.” 

“Okay.” Stiles agreed, obviously still half-asleep and Erica grinned. 

“That was easy, come on then, clothes off.” She said, already starting to pull his shirt off. 

“Boyd’s going to be getting jealous.” Stiles muttered. 

“I’m happy enough to strip you off too.” Boyd said quietly from his other side and Stiles chuckled, wincing when his arm pulled painfully, he heard the sharp intakes of breath when his skin was revealed so he knew he must still look rather damaged, Erica’s hand was on his arm instantly, beginning to drain his pain and Stiles sighed gratefully. He was sort of aware of being manhandled down onto the floor, vaguely aware of hands on his arms, his back, his chest, of the pain being drained away, everything was hazy, far away, distant, detached, he felt like he could just drift away, so he did. 

Derek let out a muttered curse when he saw the damage Stiles had suffered, his whole side was black with bruising and there were so many cuts and injuries and, god, how was Stiles still alive? He moved instantly, reaching out a hand to Stiles’ neck and draining the pain as quickly as he could, swearing slightly when he realised just how much pain Stiles was in, he should have drawn his pain earlier, he should have started draining the pain the instant the fight with the demon was over. He helped Erica move Stiles onto the blankets and pillows that were scattered all over the floor and the pack all gathered around him, piling in on all sides, touching him wherever they could, hoping to heal him quicker. Derek wasn’t happy about Theo being in the pile with them, but, he accepted it, even if Stiles wasn’t dating Theo, they were still friends and Derek knew Stiles wouldn’t be impressed if Derek kicked his friend out of his house, so he just had to deal with it, even as Theo pressed himself possessively against Stiles. 

Derek woke the next morning with his arms wrapped around Stiles and the rest of his pack surrounding them, he shifted slightly, making sure he could view Stiles properly, the bruises had faded slightly, they were now a deep purple instead of black, the cuts to his chest, thigh and arm had healed significantly, no more than shallow scratches now, the arm that had been broken was bruised and looked sore but it looked better than it had yesterday and the fingers on his opposite hand were still bruised but they didn’t look as bad as they had done. Stiles was still sleeping peacefully, as were the rest of the pack, and Derek used the time to really look at Stiles, he was pale with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept properly in a long time, his cheekbones were more defined than they had been before he’d left Beacon Hills, his shoulders were broader, he’d grown into himself, he’d changed, but, he was still the same in lots of ways, his lips were still full and soft looking, his eyelashes still thick and dark and his moles were still in the same places, Derek wanted to reach out and trace them with his fingertips but he knew he didn’t have the right. Waking up with Stiles sleeping in his arms felt so right, but Stiles was sleeping, he knew that it didn’t mean anything, that Stiles was basically unconscious and obviously he was seeking any comfort he could get, except, this was the second time that Derek had woken up with Stiles in his arms, and he could only hope that it meant something, that, in Stiles’ subconscious, he found some comfort in Derek. 

The rest of the pack woke up slowly, Erica got up, poured herself a bowl of cereal and then returned to the floor, switching on the television as she went, Derek raised an eyebrow at her but she just shrugged, pulling her t-shirt up slightly and pulling Stiles’ arm so that it was resting on her bare skin as she continued munching on her cereal. Stiles slept on, even as the rest of the pack got up and then returned to the pile, sprawling around the room lazily, it was obvious none of them intended to move anywhere, they were going to stay as long as Stiles needed them. Derek watched with fascination as the bruises on Stiles’ body began to fade the longer he slept, so that, by early afternoon, when Stiles finally blinked his eyes open, they had faded to a soft yellow, looking weeks old and not like Stiles had nearly died last night. 

Stiles woke slowly, lazily, he felt warm, the kind of warmth that came from body heat, he could feel the press of bare skin against him in various places and it felt good, better than he’d ever felt before, he wasn’t sure he’d ever healed so quickly before and it was great, he opened his eyes, looking around at the pack that surrounded him, their hands falling away from him as he stretched slowly, feeling the healing ache in his body. He stumbled towards the stairs, still half asleep as he climbed up the stairs, went into the bathroom and then to the toilet, he splashed some water on his face, waking himself up and then studying his reflection again. His hair was sticking up in a hundred directions and he ran his fingers through it in an attempt to calm it slightly, the scrapes on his cheek were gone completely, the black bruise on his ribs had faded to almost non-existent, the claw marks on his arm, torso and thigh were nothing more than thin lines, his arm wasn’t broken even if it was still a little bruised, and his fingers were healed, he was amazed at how quickly he’d healed, usually it took three or four days for him to recover to this extent. Not to mention the fact his magic was already returning and his energy levels felt almost higher than normal, admittedly he usually tried to keep them low, if he was exhausted then he’d be able to sleep without nightmares, if he had too much energy then he’d either not sleep or wake himself with tears spilling from his eyes and a silent scream on his lips, exhaustion was definitely preferable.

He grabbed a quick shower, washing off any remaining dirt and blood, threw on some clean clothes and then headed downstairs, the pack were all still sprawled around the living room, a hole in their centre where Stiles had been sleeping, Theo was looking at him uncertainly but the others were all relaxed, some had gone back to sleep, others were watching the television, Lydia had a book in her lap and was studying it intensely, they looked calm, peaceful even and Stiles felt awkward being witness to it, he wasn’t part of the pack, no matter how much he longed to be. 

He moved to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and ignoring the soft footfalls behind him until Theo reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, Stiles turned slightly, enough to acknowledge his presence and Theo pulled him into a hug. 

“Good job yesterday.” Theo muttered into his shoulder and Stiles nodded a little numbly, he didn’t feel overly comfortable with displays of affection, he’d learned to keep people at a distance, it was the only way to protect himself, after all, he’d given his heart away to the pack and Derek, and, well, that hadn’t ended well, in fact, since returning to Beacon Hills, Stiles had probably had more physical contact with people than he had in the last three years, other than when he was on assignments or sleeping in the same bed to heal, he tried to avoid other contact, so, Theo hugging him was a little surprising. He pulled away as soon as he could but Theo kept a hand on his shoulder, studying him with wide, innocent eyes and Stiles felt a slight blush on his cheeks, he felt exposed, he wasn’t used to such close scrutiny, he took a step backwards, hoping to deflect some of Theo’s attention. 

“Yeah, well, I told you that plan wasn’t going to work.” Stiles said simply and Theo shrugged. 

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t actually say it.” Theo gave him a sheepish grin and Stiles shook his head in amusement. 

“That’s because the demon was right there, but I think I made it pretty obvious with the whole shaking of my head and mouthing ‘no’, was I being too subtle?” Stiles said sarcastically. 

“I thought it would work.” Theo mumbled. 

“Yeah well that’s why I come up with the plans, otherwise you’ll end up getting yourself killed.” Stiles replied, there was silence for a moment and then Theo looked up at him from under his eyelashes.

“So, um, does that mean, that, you’re still going to work with me? We’re still going to do assignments and stuff? You’re not going to take the job here?” He asked nervously, Stiles sighed, at least he understood what Theo’s behaviour was about now, but, it didn’t mean he had an answer for him. 

“I don’t know.” He admitted. 

“As in ‘you don’t know if you’re going to take the job’ or ‘you don’t know if you’re going to work with me’?” 

“As in I don’t know about the job Theo, it’s a lot to think about and I haven’t exactly had a lot of time to think about it just yet, you know with the whole passing out from exhaustion thing I had going on.” Stiles grumbled. 

“Right, yeah, sure, that makes sense, just, I enjoy working with you, I don’t want to go back to working on my own.” Theo whispered and Stiles felt guilt flood through him, he knew he couldn’t make decisions based on that, but, god, he didn’t want Theo to be abandoned. 

“I need some time to think about it, I swear, once I’ve decided what to do, you’ll be the first to know, and, I won’t leave you alone, okay? We’ll work something out, get you a new partner or a job in town or something, you won’t be alone.” Stiles said. 

“Thanks.” Theo muttered, still looking disappointed and Stiles rested a hand on his shoulder, forcing Theo to meet his gaze.

“I promise Theo, you won’t be alone, IF I decide to take the job, we’ll talk through what happens next, but, you will not be alone, okay?” 

“Okay.” Theo nodded, pulling Stiles into a hug again and this time Stiles didn’t pull away, knowing Theo needed the comfort, only breaking the hug when Scott cleared his throat in the doorway. 

“Hey buddy, you okay?” Stiles asked. 

“Aren’t I supposed to be asking you that? What with you nearly dying again yesterday?” Scott said and Stiles waved a hand in dismissal.

“I had it covered.” He replied easily. 

“So I saw, tell me was that before it threw you into a tree? Or when it threw you hard enough to break your arm? Or maybe it was when you told it you were only getting warmed up when you were already spitting out blood?” Scott queried, the undertone of annoyance evident in his tone and Stiles narrowed his eyes slightly. 

“Actually, I think it was around the time I told all of you to run and instead you attacked it.” Stiles replied coldly. 

“You would have died if we hadn’t.” Scott snapped. 

“Yeah and you could have died anyway!” Stiles said, doing his best to remain calm when all he wanted to do was scream at Scott, “It doesn’t matter, the demon is dead, it’s over.” 

“Until the next time. Until you go off on your next assignment and Theo does something stupid and you get yourself killed trying to protect him and none of us are there to watch out for you.” Scott said and Stiles realised suddenly where this was going, “If you stayed here, took the job the council offered, we could keep an eye on you, make sure you’re okay, that you’re not in any danger…” Scott started, trailing off when Stiles glared at him. 

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself thanks and if, IF, I take the job it won’t be because I need you guys to protect me, it’ll be so I can protect the town, because I can do that, because I’m powerful, more powerful than you can imagine, I don’t need any protection from you.” He said, ice in his voice, god he was so angry, so fucking angry, “I’m going out for a run.” He said, knowing he needed space to clear his head, Derek had told him he wasn’t pack, Stiles knew he wasn’t pack, and yet they’d risked their lives for him yesterday and now Scott was basically declaring that they’d all be there for him, to look after him, he wasn’t a child, he wasn’t a liability and he wasn’t pack, no matter how much he wanted to be, so he would be damned if he’d let them treat him like he was.

“Stiles! Wait!” Scott called after him, but Stiles was already out the front door, breaking into a run and running away from them as fast as he could. Scott went to go after him, knowing that as a werewolf he would be faster, he would be able to catch up with Stiles and fix this, it wasn’t supposed to happen like that, he’d wanted to convince Stiles that staying in Beacon Hills was the right move, that he’d have the pack nearby and he’d be safer here than out in the world somewhere, but, he’d made a mess, god, he’d made such a mess, he needed to fix this, except, instead Theo was standing in front of him, a hand flat on his chest and Scott was sure for a second Theo looked smug but he couldn’t say for definite. 

“Chasing after him isn’t going to help.” Theo said and Scott growled at him. 

“And you’d know all about helping him, wouldn’t you? Your plan nearly got him killed last night!” Scott replied. 

“Stiles can handle himself, which you would know if you knew anything about him.” 

“I know Stiles a hell of a lot better than you do.” Scott snarled.

“Of course you do, remind me again what his first name is?” Theo commented and Scott stilled for a second before gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly. 

“Alright, so what would you suggest I do? Let him think that I think he’s weak or something?” Scott growled.

“I think it would be a good idea for you all to go to your own home.” Theo said calmly, “You’ve only just found out about Stiles’ magic and I understand there’s a lot of questions and a lot of things to discuss, but, it’s a little overwhelming, for Stiles and for you. We’re not going anywhere, not until Stiles has decided what he wants to do about the job which is going to mean we’re here for another few days at least. Give him some space to sort his head out. Crowding him isn’t going to help.” Theo explained. 

“As much as I don’t like agreeing with you,” Peter muttered, “He might be right.” Peter looked to Derek who was still staring out of the open door after Stiles, “We haven’t really had a proper chance to process all this and neither has Stiles, maybe we give him some space? I’m not saying not see him, but, you know, let him sleep in his own bed, have time with his dad without us all hovering around him, see what it would be like if he decided to stay in town.” 

“But if he stays in town, he’ll pretty much stay with us, won’t he?” Kira asked. 

“He’s not part of the pack though, is he?” Theo queried and Derek stared at the floor shamefully, Theo’s eyes widening in realisation and a smirk settling on his features, “Oh, well, that makes so much more sense. I couldn’t figure out why you treat him like pack when you’d been so definite that he wasn’t. But, he was, he’s never stopped being pack to you, has he?”

“That’s not important.” Derek growled and Theo grinned. 

“Oh my god, here I was thinking you just wanted to fuck him again, but, it’s more than that.” Theo paused, obviously thinking things over in his mind, Noah grimaced slightly at his wording and Derek tried not to lose his cool, fighting Theo again wouldn’t help things, “You lied, you lied to him, that morning. You told him he wasn’t pack and you lied, what else did you lie about? Telling him it was a mistake? That it was nothing special? They are both lies otherwise you wouldn’t be so desperate to be with him now. So, why? Why lie to him?” 

“It’s none of your business.” Peter interrupted.

“Right, sure, it’s not. But, how would Stiles feel if I told him that you lied? I’m pretty sure he’d hate you, even less chance of him wanting to be anywhere near you.” Theo said sounding smug and Derek fought the urge to kill him, repeating the mantra over and over that it would not help their situation, killing Theo would not help. 

“Stiles deserves the truth and I’ll tell him.” Derek said through gritted teeth. 

“Oh please do, I can’t wait to see that.” Theo smirked, “I can’t wait to see the moment he realises that you lied to him, you know it’s going to break his heart all over again, don’t you?”

“I’ll deal with it.” Derek growled, hating the image that Theo painted, almost able to visualise the look of betrayal that Stiles would give him, god, he was going to hate him, Derek couldn’t do it, he couldn’t have Stiles look at him like that, like he hated him, god, how was he supposed to do it? He’d already hurt Stiles once, to do it again, even if it was to correct his earlier mistake, he didn’t know if he was strong enough to do it. 

“I think Theo is right, giving Stiles some space right now is the right thing to do, he’s still healing from the demon attack and he’s got enough to think about without adding that information in…”

“You mean you want to keep this from him!?” Theo said incredulously.

“Yes, I do, for the time being, and, when I feel he’s okay to be told, Derek will tell him.” Noah said decisively and Derek nodded, “And if you even think of telling him before that I will make sure he never goes anywhere with you again, do you understand me?” 

“Mica is a grown man, he’ll do whatever he wants.” Theo replied peevishly. 

“Yeah, he’s an adult, but he still listens to me, he still takes my advice and I’m still his father who loves him, more importantly he loves me, he’ll listen to me.” 

“And when he finds out you lied to him too? He’s going to listen to you then?” Theo said. 

“Are you willing to take that risk?” Noah said and Theo clenched his jaw before sighing. 

“Fine. Fine, I won’t tell him, but, just so you’re aware, he’s going to hate you with every fibre of his being.” Theo said and Derek nodded, he was well aware of that. 

“Good, now we’re in agreement, you should all go home, it’s been a long few days, emotions are running high, go home, get some space, clear your heads, take a breath. Stiles isn’t going anywhere in the next few days, take the rest of the day to do what you want, to process this however you want, and I’ll call you tomorrow, sound fair?” Noah said, none of them were happy about it, they wanted to be here, be here when Stiles got home, talk to him, tell him how much they missed him, how they wanted him to stay, but, none of them were going to argue with Noah, they knew when Noah made his mind up there was no arguing with him. 

Gradually the pack dispersed, climbing into the various vehicles and driving away from the Stilinski home, it felt wrong, so wrong, to be driving away from the house, knowing that Stiles was mad at them, but, Derek knew Noah was right, they needed to give Stiles some space. 

Stiles ran until he couldn’t go any further, until his chest heaved and his breath came in pants, until sweat ran down his neck and stained his t-shirt, running away from his problems didn’t always solve them, but, running had saved his life more than once so he did his best to run on a regular basis in amongst his other training. His ribs throbbed slightly in time to the beating of his heart, indicating that he wasn’t completely healed, but, he felt so much better than he should have done, the only explanation that made sense as to why he’d healed so much quicker than usual was that the pack had helped him to heal, he was grateful, truly he was, but, he hated that they thought he was so weak, that he needed their protection, and, honestly, he hadn’t done much to prove himself capable. After everything he’d accomplished in the past three years, he’d thought he was better, stronger, faster, braver, someone worthy, someone his dad could be proud of, someone he could be proud of, someone, that when he looked in the mirror, he didn’t hate what he saw. And, for a few moments, maybe he felt like it, brief moments, when he’d solved a case and saved someone, when he’d helped someone, in those short seconds, yeah, he felt like he was doing okay. Except, then he looked in the mirror, saw the scars, saw the damage, and, sometimes it felt like he deserved it, like they reflected how broken he was inside, and he was ashamed, knowing he would never be able to right all the wrongs he had done while being possessed by the nogitsune, he hated himself, and he felt it would never be enough, that he would never be enough. 

He’d thought he was getting better, like each solved case proved his worth, that he was someone they could be proud of, that they would want around, except he hadn’t been proving himself capable of anything since returning to Beacon Hills, all the pack had witnessed was him getting hurt over and over, nearly dying twice, barely defeating the demon, risking all of their lives, how did Stiles expect them to ever see him as anything other than a liability? 

He wasn’t sure how long he ran for but it was starting to go dark by the time he returned to his dads house, the majority of the cars were no longer there, so Stiles knew that most of the pack had left and he was kind of grateful for that, he needed some space to sort his head out, there was so much to think about, so much to consider, it was making his head spin and honestly he needed a distraction. He opened the front door, sweat dripping down his face and his mouth dropped open in surprise, there were files sprawled all over the living room, Theo was looking between a few of them, sitting crossed legged on the floor with a pen in his teeth, he glanced up at Stiles and grinned. 

“Hey, I printed out the files that Steve sent across, I figured you would need the distraction, you know, a chance for your brain to think things through while it’s otherwise engaged.” Theo said and Stiles nodded numbly a few times, solving some cases was exactly what he needed. 

“That’s great dude, let me go grab a shower and then we can get to work.” Stiles grinned, heading upstairs and jumping in the shower, cleaning off the sweat from his run and throwing on some clean clothes before going back downstairs, his dad was standing in the kitchen doorway, looking at the files sprawled around the room and sipping at his mug of coffee. 

“Want me to order in a Chinese?” He asked and Stiles smiled.

“Yeah that would be great dad.” Stiles replied, settling to the floor on the opposite side of the table to Theo and picking up the nearest file.


	8. Chapter 8

Derek had thought a lot over the past twenty-four hours since leaving the Stilinski house, he knew Stiles needed time to think things over, but, it felt wrong, it felt wrong being away from Stiles, knowing he was in town and not with the pack was so wrong and Derek was going out of his mind. He’d come up with a plan, he knew Stiles would never forgive him if he found out the truth, found out that Stiles had always been pack, but, what he could do instead was convince Stiles that he could be pack now. That Derek wanted him to be pack, that he could join the pack. He knew that it was a shit plan, he knew that Stiles would probably refuse, or think that Derek was only offering because Stiles had magic now, and that wasn’t the case, not at all. But, he thought Stiles might at least come around to the idea of becoming pack now, whereas he knew Stiles would never forgive him If he found out the truth.

He couldn’t wait any longer, he’d decided he could go over, invite the three of them over for dinner, maybe he could show Stiles how much he’d changed, and that, maybe, by some miracle, he could convince Stiles to join the pack. 

Stiles’ phone rang in the late afternoon, he hadn’t slept much, he’d been up most of the night going through the case files, Theo had gone to sleep in the early hours and his dad had disappeared up to bed and Stiles had kept working, using the silence to allow his mind to filter through his thoughts. Theo and his dad had both woken up at some point, Stiles hadn’t noticed, they’d poured mugs of coffee and offered Stiles some, he’d taken it gratefully, his eyes never leaving the case files in front him, his mind was racing but he was finally beginning to make a decision, Stiles heard the council’s ringtone start and snatched up his phone. 

“Agent Stilinski speaking.” 

“You sound better.” Steve replied and Stiles grinned. 

“I feel better too.” Stiles said, sipping at his coffee and moving towards the door when the doorbell rang, he answered the door, a little surprised to see Derek standing there, he waved the Alpha in, returning his concentration to the phone call and pretending he wasn’t aware of Derek going in to the kitchen where his dad was. 

“Have you given any consideration to my earlier offer?” Steve asked without preamble and Stiles shrugged.

“I’ve been thinking about it yes.” Stiles admitted.

“But you haven’t made your mind up yet?” 

“No, not yet, I want to make sure I give you a definite answer, I don’t want to mess you around.”

“I couldn’t imagine you ever doing that, look, while you’re still thinking about it, and, I assume still healing, I’d like to make people aware you’re available for information requests, acceptable?” 

“Yes sir.” Stiles replied easily.

“You received the case files I sent over to you?” Steve said. 

“Yes sir, I’ve been going through them already, I’ve made notes on some of them already, a couple aren’t our department, purely human, file sixteen-nine-seven-two, they need to take a closer look at the aunt, and file eighteen-seven-two-four, there’s something off about the statement taken from the cousin of the second victim, I’d suggest a copycat kill or that they may not be linked at all, but, either way, there’s nothing even remotely supernatural about them.” Stiles explained. 

“Great work Stilinski, I’ll be sure to pass the information across, you’re sure you’re ready to be back on call?” Steve queried. 

“Yes sir, you don’t need to worry about me.” Stiles said. 

“And yet I always do.” Steve laughed before disconnecting the call and turning around to look at his dad, Theo and Derek who were all staring at him, Derek looked a little uncomfortable and Stiles looked to his dad who shrugged, “You okay?” He asked Derek. 

“Yeah.” Derek nodded, swallowing loudly and then looking down at the floor, “Um, yeah, sorry, I was, um, I wondered if you’d like to come to dinner? At our house? All of you, obviously, but, you haven’t seen the new house yet, so, I thought you might want to come and see it, and, dinner, we’re, well, technically, Isaac and Kira are making dinner, but, yeah, there’s dinner, as well, if you want it?” Derek stammered, feeling more idiotic by the second, god, he was such an idiot, Stiles must think he was the biggest fool on the planet. 

“Um, sure, that would be good?” Stiles said, looking to his dad uncertainly, why was Derek acting even weirder than usual? 

“Yeah, that sounds like it’ll be fun Derek.” Theo smiled and Stiles was more than a little confused, when did Derek and Theo get friendly? Whatever, he couldn’t be bothered trying to figure that out, he had enough to be thinking about right now. 

“Okay, cool, let me just grab a jacket.” Stiles said, disappearing upstairs and grabbing a jacket before coming back downstairs, noticing the strained look on Derek’s face but choosing to ignore it for now, he was sure he was missing something, but, there was so much else buzzing in his head, so many decisions to make, whatever was going on between Derek and Theo really wasn’t his priority, besides it was probably just Derek getting all Alpha male. “Ready to go?” He asked and both Theo and his dad nodded. 

“Sure thing.” Noah nodded, grabbing his own jacket and keys, “You want me to drive?” 

“You can all ride with me if you like?” Derek suggested and Noah raised a questioning eyebrow at Stiles who shrugged, it was fine with him. They drove back to the Hale house in near silence, Derek and Noah making small talk about a few of the cases in town while Theo and Stiles sat in the back seat, Theo pressing close to Stiles, so that they were touching from shoulder to hip, Stiles shifted slightly a few times, but within moments Theo was touching him again and Stiles figured it was just because he was nervous, needing support from a pack member, Stiles figured that was probably because Theo was going into the den of another pack so Stiles leaned back against Theo, offering him whatever comfort he could and Theo shot him a grateful smile. 

As soon as they pulled up to the house Stiles was in awe, it was beautiful, he climbed out of the camaro with his mouth hanging open, he’d never seen a house so picturesque before, it looked like something out of a storybook. It was a large stone house, three stories tall with large windows that looked out onto the preserve, there was a glass conservatory off to one side that was sparkling slightly in the late afternoon sun and a porch out front that, honest to god, held a swinging bench. Noah moved towards the house as if he belonged there and, from what Erica had said in previous conversations, Noah did spend a lot of time at the Hale house, the only reason he hadn’t been there that much recently was because Stiles was at home. 

Theo followed after Noah, glancing back at Stiles who was still staring at the house with an awestruck expression on his features, Theo glanced at Derek who was staring at Stiles, the love shining in his eyes clear for Theo to see, he couldn’t let Stiles see that, he was not going to let Derek have Stiles’ heart, it belonged to him, he had to have Stiles. 

“Come on, I’m starving.” Theo said, grabbing Stiles’ wrist and dragging him towards the house. 

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.” Stiles said still sounding a little stunned as he moved forwards, his eyes still studying the house in front of him, taking it all in. The pack were gathered in the spacious living room, all looking relaxed and comfortable and at home and Stiles and grinned at them in greeting.

“Stiles!” Erica exclaimed, jumping from her seat and pouncing on him, Stiles catching her before she could knock him over, “I didn’t know you were coming over?” 

“Yeah, Derek invited us for dinner.” Stiles explained and the pack all turned to look at Derek who shrugged. 

“It’s not like it’s that out of the ordinary.” He muttered, moving through the living room and to the kitchen, not wanting Stiles to see the blush on his cheeks.

“Yeah, sure, of course it’s not.” Peter agreed, shaking his head in bemusement, Derek’s behaviour was obvious for all of them, how could Stiles not realise just how completely and utterly besotted Derek was with him? 

They’d barely sat down to dinner when Stiles’ phone started ringing and he shot them an apologetic grin, getting up from the table and moving into the kitchen.

“Agent Stilinski speaking.” He said, Erica gave him a shit-eating grin and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Agent Stilinski, my name is deputy Alicia Moore, I’m calling from the Sheriff’s department in Sandy Springs near Atlanta, I’ve been told you’ve done some consultancy work for us previously and you may be able to help?”

“Yeah, a couple of cases, I’ll do my best, have you sent the case file to my superiors?” Stiles queried.

“Yes, it’s case file number, um, hang on,” She paused, “Case number six, eleven, fourteen.” She said and Stiles nodded, waving his hand almost absentmindedly, the pack staring in awe as a portal opened up, the Stilinski living room in clear sight on the other side, Stiles reached through the portal, snatched up the relevant case file and drew it back into the Hale house before the portal closed. 

“Okay, let me have a look,” Stiles said, flicking open the file and studying it, glancing at the pack apologetically before he put the file down on the side and looked around for something, before he moved his little finger just a fraction and a pen appeared out of thin air, Stiles caught it mid-air and then moved back to the file, going through it properly. “Run me through the highlights, the stuff you didn’t want to put in the police report.” Stiles said as he read. 

“Right, yeah, sure, so, it’ll probably sound a little crazy…” Agent Moore started.

“Believe me I’ll have heard crazier.” Stiles replied. 

“Okay, so, we had reports of break-ins in the local area, but the thief wasn’t stealing anything of value, just, trinkets more than anything, you know they weren’t of any value in the monetary sense but the families said they had an emotional attachment to them. We got a call out, of a robbery in progress and I attended the scene, the back window was broken, there were noises inside, I could hear someone moving around in there, I called out, I went inside, I was in the room, whoever they were, I could hear them moving but I couldn’t see them, and then, something scurried out from behind the sofa, it was small, I shone my torch on it, it was, I don’t know, maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me…”

“Let me take a guess, it looked like a human, except, smaller, dirtier, big ears and claws instead of fingers?” 

“Yeah, yeah that’s it, exactly. Have you seen one too?” 

“A few times.” Stiles replied, “It’s a gremlin, pretty harmless, they build nests from the trinkets they steal, they don’t kill humans, in fact, they tend to void conflict at all costs, I’m guessing as soon as you saw it, it dropped whatever it was holding and ran?”

“Yeah, but, um, gremlin? That’s a real thing? They’re, um, they’re real?” 

“Yep. They’re pretty easy to scare off, they usually live in the woods, it’s not very often you find one in town, jut locate its nest and you can grab it, take it out to the nearest park and you’ll never see it again.” Stiles replied. 

“Okay, so, say you’re telling me the truth and gremlins are real, how do I find its nest?” 

“You saw it yourself, you know it’s true otherwise you wouldn’t have called me, it’s real, deal with it.” Stiles said, waving his hand again and a map appeared next to the case file, “Alright, give me the locations of all the break-ins in the last two weeks.” Stiles said, making a mark on each location and then nodding, “Alright, well, central location is a row of houses on, um, Portland row? Sound familiar?” 

“Yeah, there’s a few that are vacant at the moment, they’re planning on knocking them down and building some new multi-plex or something.” Deputy Moore replied. 

“Okay, well, I’d suggest starting your search there, check cupboards or closets, small places, that’s where it’ll be hiding.”

“And to catch it?” She asked.

“Just pick it up, maybe wear thick gloves, the claws will leave nasty scratches otherwise, but, like I said it’s relatively harmless. Any issues give me a call back.”

“You wouldn’t come to town and help?” She queried.

“For a gremlin? No. Besides, I’m on call only at the moment, I’m not attending any cases for the next week or so.” 

“Oh, okay, well, that’s a shame, I thought I’d get to meet you.”

“Maybe next time.” Stiles laughed. 

“Thanks for your help agent.” Deputy Moore said before the call disconnected, Stiles closed the case file and moved back to the table, picking up his fork and taking a mouthful of food. 

“Gremlins huh?” Theo asked. 

“Just the one this time.” Stiles replied easily. 

“I guess one is easier than a lot of them?” Kira asked and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, a bunch of them together is pretty awful.” Stiles replied and they all sensed there was more to that story, however, before any of them could even ask, Stiles’ phone started ringing again, he sighed apologetically and excused himself once more. 

“Agent Stilinski speaking.” Stiles said.

“Is it always like this?” Cora muttered to Theo who nodded.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Theo confirmed, continuing to eat his food and shaking his head at Stiles. Derek watched in fascination as Stiles created another portal and transported another case file, talking to the person on the other end of the phone about their case. 

“He’s creating portals? Like that demon?” Boyd asked.

“Not exactly. He can’t bring like, living people through, well he can, but not long distances, nobody can do that, it’d use too much magic and would weaken him, maybe even kill him, and, the longer the distance between the portals the harder it is, he can astral project but he can’t bring things back with him when he does that and he can teleport short distances, but, the further he travels, or if he uses it too much, it’ll weaken him, so he tends to avoid doing it, but, what he’s doing now, yeah he can do that all the time and he barely even registers it.” Erica explained. 

“He really told you everything, didn’t he?” Theo asked sounding bemused. 

“Almost everything.” Erica agreed still sounding a little disgruntled about the fact Stiles hadn’t told her about being almost raped.

“What did you think about the final test from the council? Before he graduated? He says they’re the good guys, but, that was messed up.” Theo said. 

“The final test? What did that involve?” Lydia asked in curiosity. 

“It involved a mission, a field test as it were.” Noah said, glancing at Stiles who had moved into the living room, before continuing in a hushed whisper, “They sent several students who they believed were nearly ready to qualify out on a case, it was supposed to be straightforward, the council provided the four students with all the facts they would need to solve the case. It was a test, to see if they could handle themselves in the real world, dealing with real problems rather than just on paper.”

“Sounds logical.” Scott agreed and Noah nodded. 

“That’s what we thought, I was nervous, but Stiles assured us it would be fine, and, the idea made sense, send four of them out, knowing what they were heading into and seeing how they handled themselves.” Noah agreed. 

“Except that wasn’t the real test.” Erica explained and they all looked to her impatiently, dying to know what had happened, “Do you remember the two weeks when Stiles was out of touch for ‘important exams’?”

“That was when I thought he graduated, finished the course and became a CIA agent.” Lydia confirmed. 

“Yeah, well, the mission was supposed to be straightforward, he said he’d be out of touch for a week tops.” Erica said.

“I’m guessing it wasn’t straightforward?” Allison asked and Erica grinned. 

“What gave it away?” 

“The fact Stiles is involved and nothing with him is straightforward.” Allison replied and Erica smiled a little sadly. 

“Yeah, well, you’re right, the case wasn’t straightforward, but not for the reasons you think. There wasn’t actually a case, it was a setup, a trap.” Erica said. 

“What do you mean a trap?” Derek asked sounding worried. 

“There was never any case, the council sent them there, they placed their own members there, once the students attacked, they jumped in, knocked them out and kidnapped them.” Noah muttered, the entire pack looked horrified, “They held each student in a location by themselves, convinced them that they were going to be killed, that the others were already dead, and that to survive, they had to provide them with information on how to bring down the council, they were beaten repeatedly until they gave up the information.” 

“Hang on, wait, you’re telling us, they kidnapped and tortured their own students?” Peter said in horror. 

“Yes, they needed to prove their loyalty to the council, that they would rather die than betray the council, the attack previously, the one that decimated their ranks and nearly destroyed the council, that happened because of insider information, they couldn’t allow it to happen again.” Erica explained. 

“So they kidnapped and tortured Stiles, but he’s still alive, did he give them the information?” Lydia said in confusion. 

“No, he didn’t, before Stiles, everyone broke, they confessed that they were a member of the council, apparently everyone breaks eventually, but, from that, they learned where their limits were, their breaking points, they went over their cases over and over, making sure that they didn’t trust the information other people provided, trusting themselves and only themselves, and, also, how to push through their limits, learned how to improve, hold out longer if they were captured.” 

“Before Stiles? Did he not break?” Boyd asked. 

“Well, we both know how stubborn he can be.” Erica muttered and both their minds went to the night Gerard had kidnapped Stiles, held him prisoner and tortured him for information on the pack, Stiles had refused to tell Gerard a single thing about them. 

“So, he didn’t tell them anything?” Kira said in astonishment. 

“No, he didn’t.” Noah said proudly, “More than that though, he found a way to escape, he knocked out three of the people holding him captive and was about to make a complete getaway when the remaining people told him what was actually going on.” 

“Wow.” Scott said in awe, glancing at where Stiles was still talking on the phone. 

“I can’t believe they did that to him.” Derek growled.

“Yeah, me neither, like I said, there was me thinking they were the good guys.” Theo commented. 

“How badly did they hurt him?” Derek asked and Noah pursed his lips. 

“Bad enough for him to believe it was real, that he believed they were going to kill him if he didn’t tell them what they wanted to know.” Noah commented and the entire pack growled. 

“What did I miss?” Stiles said as he slid back into his seat, looking at them with a raised eyebrow a moment before his phone started ringing again. “Sorry, two minutes.” Stiles apologised before moving back to the living room again, his plate of food still practically untouched. 

“He’s popular.” Malia commented.

“He’s on call, this is what it’s like, if he was out in the field it wouldn’t be so bad, but, people all over the world need help, at the moment, his number is the one their calls divert to.” Theo shrugged, finishing off his food and eyeing up Stiles’ plate. 

Stiles finished his next call, apologising profusely as he shovelled in a couple of mouthfuls of food, rolling his eyes when his phone rang again, his plate was still full and Derek couldn’t help but shake his head at Stiles’ lack of self-care, he hadn’t eaten and yet the pile of files on the side was growing rapidly. All of them watched Stiles as he paced restlessly across the room, talking animatedly and looking slightly stressed, he was running through the notes on the file and scrunching his nose or rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, he finally hung up about fifteen minutes later and had barely made it back to the table when his phone rang again. 

“Enough of this.” Erica said, pulling out her phone and dialling Stiles’ number. 

“Sorry, hang on one second Malcolm,” Stiles said when an incoming call sounded on his phone, “Agent Stilinski speaking.” Stiles said sounding slightly harassed. 

“Come sit your ass down and eat your dinner.” Erica growled and Stiles looked across at her, rolled his eyes and ended the call with her.

“Sorry about that Malcolm, look, I’m going to recommend that the council send an active agent to come and look into it for you, until then avoid any open flames, no, no, it’s nothing to worry about, of course not, I’d tell you if it was serious, yes, yes, I know, no, they’ll be there within twenty-four hours.” Stiles ended the call and moved back to the table.

“Another dragon huh?” Theo asked and Stiles shrugged.

“Sounds like it could be, I don’t want to tell him that though, you know Mal, he’s a worrier at the best of times, I tell him a dragon might be after him again and he’ll be screaming it from the rooftops.” Stiles said, finally tucking into his dinner. “This is delicious by the way.” He said after a few mouthfuls. 

“Yeah, well, Kira’s a great cook.” Peter said proudly and Kira blushed slightly. 

“Thanks.” She muttered. 

Stiles’ phone rang again but Erica snatched it away before he could answer it and she glared at him. 

“Eat your dinner.” She scolded and Stiles shook his head in bemusement before waving his hand and the phone appeared in his fingertips, he stuck his tongue out childishly and Erica lunged for the phone, nearly knocking Boyd out of his seat in her attempt to grab it. She tackled Stiles to the floor, still half trapped in his seat, there was several seconds of play fighting before Erica emerged victorious, holding the phone triumphantly in her hand, “Now, eat your dinner.” She said and Stiles stared at her in astonishment before getting off the floor and turning his attention to the plate in front of him. 

Erica allowed Stiles to have his phone back once he’d eaten, they all knew Stiles could have taken it back at any time using magic, but he didn’t, choosing instead to give Erica what she wanted, even though she was only doing it to make sure Stiles looked after himself.

Stiles had reached a decision, it hadn’t been an easy one to make, he’d been agonising over it for the past few days, he didn’t want to hurt anyone, but, whatever choice he made was going to result in someone getting hurt, his dad and Erica if he left town again, Theo if he stayed, but, Stiles had realised, in the three days since the dinner at the Hale house, that he couldn’t make this decision based on how it would affect other people, it had to be based on what he wanted. 

He had been out for a run, knowing he needed to clear his head, plan what he was going to say, he’d left Theo at the house going through some more of the case files, there was quite a backlog and although Stiles’ phone wasn’t ringing quite as much as it had been the first night, he was still getting eight or nine calls a day. He was almost completely back to full power, his injuries healed, his energy almost back up to full, he felt good, strong, powerful, and he knew that sooner, rather than later, the council would be asking him to make a decision, to return to field work or to take up residence in Beacon Hills. He wanted to tell them before they forced him to choose, perhaps suggest a third option to them that would work for all of them. He hoped they’d be willing to at least listen to him. He arrived back at the house, his mind racing, his heart beating nervously in his chest, thankfully none of the pack were there, just his dad and Theo, his dad cooking them dinner in the kitchen and Theo upstairs having just got out of the shower himself. 

“Food’ll be ready in fifteen.” Noah called as Stiles headed upstairs. 

“Thanks!” He called, having a quick shower and then going into his bedroom where Theo was waiting almost patiently, as if he was expecting Stiles to want to talk to him in private. 

“You’ve made a decision.” Theo said as soon as Stiles had pulled a pair of jeans up his still slightly damp legs. 

“How can you tell?” Stiles said with a half-smile. 

“I can smell it, you’re nervous. I’ve only seen you nervous a handful of times and it’s when you’ve reached a decision that you know is going to upset people.” Theo explained, “So, am I going to be upset?” He asked and Stiles sighed, sitting down on the bed while Theo leaned against the desk. 

“Theo, I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“You’re going to take the job?” Theo asked sounding disappointed. 

“I’m going to request that they let me still do field work, at least a couple of times a month, but, Beacon Hills is my home, I want to stay here, it won’t need my protection all the time, the pack is here for that, and if I’m on assignment and something happens that they can’t handle, they call me and I’ll be right back.”

“But, you won’t be working like we have been doing? You’ll be sticking to local cases? This state and maybe the surrounding ones?” 

“Theo, I’m sorry, the last thing I want to do is hurt you…”

“So don’t then!” Theo said loudly, “Just turn them down, tell them to stick their job!” He said emotionally. 

“I’m going to ask that they allow you to enter as a student, that they teach you everything they know and you can graduate and have access to all their information and everything, and, I’ll only be a phone call away, you can call me whenever you want.”

“I don’t want to be a fucking council member Mica! I want to be yours!”

“Mine? Theo, you are my partner, nothing is going to change that.” Stiles said, feeling awful for hurting Theo so badly. 

“No, no, it will, if you’re here and I’m in Virginia I won’t be with you! I won’t be able to talk to you, not really, not like we do now, no, just, turn them down, tell them you don’t want the job.” Theo demanded, looking on the verge of falling apart. 

“You’ll still be my partner Theo, if I end up on a case near Virginia, I’ll call you, you can come work it with me.” Stiles said, trying to be reasonable. 

“No!” Theo shouted. 

“Everything okay up there?” Noah’s voice called from the bottom of the stairs. 

“Fine dad! Just give us a minute.” Stiles called back in reply from the doorway, before turning his attention back to Theo, “I get it, and, I understand if you hate me right now, but, Theo, I’m not going to change my mind. Beacon Hills is my home and I want to stay here, I want to spend time with my dad, I want to be here, not half way across the world, I want to be with the people that matter most to me.” 

“And I don’t matter to you? Is that what you’re saying?” Theo said angrily. 

“Don’t be stupid, you do, you know that, you’re my friend Theo, but I want to be here, at home, with my dad and my friends and family. You understand that?” 

“No, no, not after everything I’ve done, everything I’ve had to do to get to you, there’s no way, you’re not leaving me, not now, not when I’m so close.” Theo rambled, pressing a finger to the tattoo on his wrist, Stiles stared at him in horror, unable to believe what he was seeing, his knees started to go weak as Theo drained his energy. Stiles got to his feet, moving towards Theo in astonishment, planning to pull his hand away and demand to know what the hell he thought he was doing, when Theo lunged forward, knocking Stiles down, pinning him to the ground and continuing to drain his energy.

“Theo? Theo what are you doing?” Stiles asked in confusion, struggling against Theo’s strength even as his own started to fade, he couldn’t understand what was happening, he didn’t know why Theo was acting like this. 

“Stiles?” Noah called out sounding worried, “You sure everything is okay?” Stiles bucked his hips, throwing Theo off him and scrambling to his feet, planning to use his magic to tie Theo up when his knees buckled and his vision whited out for the briefest second.

“RUN! DAD RUN!” Stiles shouted with every ounce of energy he had left, his vision focusing on where Theo’s finger was still pressed against the tattoo, draining Stiles of his life force. 

Theo raced past where Stiles was lying on the floor, he wasn’t unconscious, not yet, and that was fine, Theo didn’t want him dead, just too weak to fight back, he couldn’t allow Noah to ruin his plan and if he told any of the pack before Theo got Stiles the hell out of this town it would all be over. 

Noah heard Stiles’ panicked shout and he turned on his heel, snatching up his phone from where he’d left it on the kitchen counter and calling Derek’s number as quickly as he could, his heart racing as he heard footsteps bounding down the stairs. 

“Hey Noah.” Derek said in greeting. 

“DEREK HELP…” Noah began in terror, Theo jumped the counter, knocking over several pans and plates in the process and grabbed the phone from his hand, crushing it into thousands of tiny pieces in front of his very eyes. “Where’s Stiles? What have you done to him?” Noah queried, he could see the look in Theo’s eyes, the wolf was hyped up, powerful, Noah didn’t need to be a genius to realise that Theo had taken Stiles’ energy, he just didn’t know why or if Stiles was even alive. He backed up slowly, hoping that maybe he could make a run for his gun safe in his office, why hadn’t he left his gun in his belt when he’d arrived home earlier? Why had he locked it away in the same way he always did? Theo must have been able to sense what Noah was planning, he smirked widely. 

“He’s alive for now, shame I can’t say the same for you.” Theo said before pouncing forward, grabbing Noah’s arm and slamming his head into the counter. Everything went instantly black for Noah, he saw the counter coming towards him, a sudden pain and then nothing but blackness. 

Theo ran back up the stairs, knowing he didn’t have long before Derek would arrive, stupid Noah calling Derek, if he’d gone for his gun then Theo would have been able to stop him before he’d got to it and none of the pack would be aware anything was wrong, as it was, they knew something had happened to Noah and they would be here within ten minutes. He grabbed Stiles up from the floor, threw him on the bed and started searching through his bags, it was here somewhere, he knew it was, he held up the handcuffs and duct tape triumphantly, looking at Stiles who had gone pale.

“Theo wait.” Stiles muttered quietly, his eyes fluttering as he fought to stay conscious, but Theo ignored him, rolling him onto his front, handcuffing his hands behind his back and then using the duct tape to make sure he couldn’t move his fingers or hands even the slightest bit. 

“It’s okay Mica.” He reassured Stiles, picking him up from the bed and slinging him over his shoulder, carrying him out of the house and practically throwing him into the passenger seat of the car, werewolf strength was one thing, werewolf strength with the added bonus of almost all of Stiles’ energy, well, that was in a completely different league, he had no worries that he would be able to wipe out the entirety of Derek’s pack if it was necessary. He started up the vehicle, relaxing slightly when there was no sign of the pack and headed towards one of the roads out of town, “I didn’t want to do this, you have to know that, but, it was the only way.” 

“My dad, what did you do to him?” Stiles whispered, sounding terrified and enraged for his dad’s safety, Theo pressed his finger to the tattoo again, Stiles couldn’t be allowed any strength, not yet, not until he was out of town, until they were safe, Theo watched with relief as Stiles’ eyes slipped closed and he floored the accelerator. 

“Noah!” Derek called out in terror as the line disconnected, Noah was in trouble and Derek didn’t know what the hell had happened, he cursed, jumping up from his seat at the kitchen table and rushing out to the drive, the rest of the pack hot on his heels, jumping into whatever vehicles were closest and racing towards the Stilinski household, Peter called Noah back and the phone went straight to voicemail, he tried Stiles’ next and that too went unanswered, Derek was really beginning to panic. 

What the hell had happened? What had caused Noah to call for help? What could have overpowered both Theo and Stiles? They’d both proved themselves more than capable of handling anything that came at them, so what the hell had rendered both of them useless to protect Noah? Derek knew that Stiles would die before he let anything happen to his dad if he could prevent it, something truly awful must have happened and Derek was terrified, cursing his failings, he should have known there was something in town that could have attacked Stiles, as Alpha he should have known about it, he should have gone to their house when his shift finished and checked in rather than going to his own home, he should have, god, he should have been there. The Stilinski house came into view and Derek squealed to a stop in front of it, flinging open the car door and racing towards the open front door, ignoring the terror that filled his chest at that sight, already calling out for Noah and Stiles, smelling Noah’s blood and feeing his heart stutter slightly. 

The rest of the pack were right behind him as he ran through the door and looked around, Noah was lay on the floor of the kitchen, there was blood pooling around his head and more on the counter above him, it looked like he’d smashed his head onto the counter in the fight. 

“Noah!” Scott called out, racing forwards and checking for a pulse despite the fact they could hear his heart beating, “Noah? Noah, can you hear me?” Scott pleaded. Derek left them there, racing upstairs to check for Stiles, he wasn’t downstairs, Derek couldn’t hear his heart beating and Noah’s blood was overpowering any other scents, every step felt like a step closer to his doom, god, if Stiles’ body was up here, if he was dead, god, Derek couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, his mind conjuring up images of Stiles lying dead in his room, torn apart by some creature or another, god, oh god, Derek stopped on the top step, taking in the scene. 

There was no evidence of a fight, in fact there was no evidence of any kind of struggle at all, Derek thought Stiles and Theo would be able to put up more of a fight than that, especially considering the mess downstairs. He moved cautiously towards Stiles’ room, terrified of what he would find, instead there was nothing, their bags were still there, clothes strewn around the room, but, no sign of a fight, just Stiles’ usual mess, his heart began to soar with hope, maybe Stiles had been taken instead of killed, maybe he was alive, maybe they had a chance to save him. Derek checked the rest of the rooms just to make sure, feeling the hope in his chest increase just a little with each empty room, before he raced back downstairs to check on Noah and the rest of the pack. 

“He’s not here, neither is Theo, whatever attacked Noah must have taken both of them.” Derek said confidently, “How’s he doing?” He looked at Scott. 

“He’s lost a lot of blood, I’m draining what pain I can and the ambulance is on the way.” Scott said and Derek nodded, that was good, Noah would be okay, he had to be, they had to get Stiles back and Noah had to be alive to see that.

“Okay, Erica, tell me the truth, was Stiles working on any cases? Anything that he told you that might attack them here?” Derek asked, praying for some kind of lead.

“No, no, nothing, he was just answering calls, he said the council would want an answer from him soon, about the job, that he might go back to doing field work, that he might be leaving town again, but, nothing about any cases here.” She said, she was pale, looking terrified, crouched next to Noah with a look of sheer disbelief on her features, as if she couldn’t process what was happening. 

The paramedics arrived a few moments later and Derek wanted so badly to get out there and look for Stiles but he needed a lead, something to go on, he just prayed Noah could tell them something.

“Can you bring him round?” Derek asked as soon as the paramedics had stabilised Noah on a stretcher. 

“He needs a hospital.” The first one said, looking at Derek like he was insane. 

“His son was taken. I need to know if he saw anything. The sooner I know the more chance I have of finding him. Please, please, Noah will be devastated if something happens to Stiles, I need to find him.” Derek pleaded, the paramedics looked at each other before finally nodding.

“We’ve got some smelling salts, it’ll bring him around for a few minutes, but, he’s going to have a nasty concussion, I don’t know how much sense he’ll make.” 

“That’s fine, just, do it, please.” Derek begged, watching with anticipation as one of the paramedics snapped some smelling salts under Noah’s nose and he coughed slightly before his eyes shot open and he tried to move, “Noah, Noah, it’s okay, calm down, you’re okay, you’re alright.”

“Theo.” Noah muttered, wincing with obvious pain on his features.

“We don’t know where he is, Stiles and Theo are both missing, did you see anything? Do you know who did this? Where they might have gone?” 

“Theo.” Noah repeated and Derek clenched his teeth, trying not to be impatient, Noah was injured, he should be on the way to the hospital, not lying on his kitchen floor when he was still bleeding. 

“No, Noah, it’s Derek, Derek Hale.”

“No, Theo, Theo did this.” Noah said grimacing in pain, “He took Stiles.” 

“What?” The pack all said in unison, that didn’t make sense, why the hell would Theo attack Noah? Why would he take Stiles?

“Theo took Stiles, hurt him, heard him fall upstairs, shouted for me to run, find him, you have to find him.” Noah pleaded before slipping back into unconsciousness. 

“You won’t get anything else out of him, we’re going to take him to the hospital now.” The first paramedic said. 

“Right, right, yes.” Derek replied, he was reeling, in shock, none of it made sense, why would Theo take Stiles? “Kira, can you go with them? Find Melissa, tell her what’s going on?” 

“Sure, but, what about finding Stiles?” Kira said. 

“We’ll find him and call as soon as we do so you can tell Noah.” Derek said, watching as the paramedics loaded Noah into the ambulance and Kira jumped in after them, shooting Derek a worried but determined look. 

“What’s the plan?” Malia asked as soon as the doors were shut and Derek closed his eyes for a second, trying to think, where would Theo go? 

“Split up, two to a car, we’ll each take a road that leads out of town, he can’t have more than a few minutes head start on us, first one to find them calls me and we’ll catch up with you, don’t let them out of your sight and don’t engage, not until we’re all there.” Derek ordered, the pack rushing to comply with his demand, Allison climbing into the camaro with him and looking at Derek with determination. 

“We will find him Derek.” 

“I know.” Derek replied confidently, he would find Stiles, he would tear apart anything that stood in his way. He spun the wheel and headed towards the nearest route out of town, praying he was right and that Theo was trying to take Stiles away from Beacon Hills and not that he was hold up somewhere in town while they wasted their time looking in the wrong place. 

Derek was clenching the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white, his mind was racing, trying to make sense of what Theo was doing, the problem was that none of this made any sense, Theo and Stiles were friends, partners, they cared about each other, okay so Theo definitely had stronger feelings than Stiles, but, still, that wasn’t enough to kidnap Stiles and nearly kill Noah, was it? 

“Derek! Up ahead!” Allison pointed to the SUV that was ahead of them, already pulling out her phone and calling Scott, Derek could feel the tension in his chest ease slightly, that was Theo’s SUV, Stiles was in there, Stiles was in there and he was alive, he had to be alive. 

“How far away are the rest of the pack?” Derek asked, getting close behind the SUV and sighing with relief when he located the steady thrum of Stiles’ heartbeat. 

“Fifteen minutes.” Allison replied, “We should back off, we don’t want to spook him.” 

Theo stared at his rear-view mirror, cursing internally, he hadn’t expected the pack to catch up with him, and he was fucking pissed that it was Derek that found them, he needed to get rid of him, if he didn’t shake them off then he’d have to deal with the whole pack, he glanced across at Stiles who was still unconscious. 

“Derek, Derek, he’s slowing down.” Allison said and Derek shook his head in annoyance.

“Really, Allison, thanks for that, I hadn’t noticed.” He muttered sarcastically. 

“You said don’t engage until the whole pack was here.” She said as the SUV stopped in front of them and Theo got out looking smug. 

“Get Stiles, I’ll keep Theo busy.” Derek said, opening the door and getting out. 

“Derek, pleasure to see you.” Theo greeted. 

“I can’t say the same.” Derek replied, Allison got out of the other door and stared at the SUV that held Stiles, Derek assessed Theo, he looked hyped up, it was obvious that Theo had drained Stiles, taken energy from him and the knowledge infuriated Derek. He knew he wouldn’t be able to beat Theo, not with all the extra power, the only chance he had was surprise, he lunged forward, claws out as he swiped at Theo.

Allison waited until Theo and Derek started fighting to dash towards the SUV, Stiles was in the passenger seat and he looked to be unconscious, she flung open the door and reached in. 

“Stiles? Stiles, wake up, come on, wake up.” She said, shaking him gently and cursing when he didn’t stir, she undid his seatbelt and then started to pull him from the seat, planning to get him into the camaro, needing to get him away from here, not sure that Derek would be able to keep Theo at bay long enough for the pack to get there. She’d barely managed to get Stiles part way out of the door when Theo grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her away, throwing her across the road into the dirt on the other side, Stiles fell out of the car door and landed on the road below, groaning slightly as he returned to consciousness. 

Derek picked himself up from where Theo had thrown him to the ground, clutching at his chest to try and stop the flow of blood from the claw marks, Allison was lying on the other side of the road, evidently knocked unconscious by the impact and Theo was standing over Stiles who was lying on the floor by the side of the SUV, his hands handcuffed and taped crudely behind his back. Derek ran forwards, not sure what he was going to do, only hoping he could keep Theo away from Stiles long enough that the rest of the pack could arrive to rescue him. 

They fought again, Stiles shuffling around and pulling uselessly at the restraints, twisting his body to get to his feet before Theo touched the tattoo on his wrist and Stiles fell again, Derek tried not to focus on Stiles, instead concentrating on Theo’s claws, doing his best to avoid being gutted, Derek collapsed to the ground a few minutes later, a deep rip across his chest, he was losing too much blood and Theo was too strong, he was going to lose and in the process, lose Stiles. He felt the shift start to overcome him at the thought of losing Stiles and he allowed it to flow through him, although even as a full wolf he was still injured, unable to use one of his back legs properly and his body shaking from exertion. Theo looked momentarily surprised but he got over it quickly, raising an arm to protect himself when Derek lunged for his throat, however, even in his full wolf form it wasn’t enough, Theo was using Stiles’ strength and whatever Derek did it wasn’t enough to beat him, Derek was thrown backwards less than two minutes later and he shifted back to human, groaning in pain as he tried to get back to his feet. 

Theo stalked towards him and Derek knew this was it, he was going to die and there was nothing he could do to stop it, Theo paused, letting out a small gasp of pain and glancing at his wrist, the tattoo looked damaged, a thick line running through it and Theo turned back to look at Stiles. Stiles was panting heavily, propped up against the open car door, his blood dripping from the nearby catch and Derek realised that Stiles had damaged the tattoo on his own body badly enough that it would no longer work for Theo, he couldn’t draw any more energy from Stiles, the pack stood a chance of defeating him even if Derek didn’t.

“Mica what did you do!?” Theo said in shock. 

“You don’t have to do this Theo.” Stiles muttered, sounding so weak and exhausted that Derek couldn’t believe he was still conscious. 

“I do, I do, you don’t know what I’ve done to get to you Stiles, I can’t lose you.” 

“What you’ve done? Tell me, tell me what’s so bad that you think you’re going to lose me.” Stiles said. 

“I can’t, I can’t tell you, if I tell you then you’ll leave me.”

“I’m not going to leave you Theo, just tell me why you’re doing this, I don’t understand, I don’t know what you want, we’re friends, aren’t we? Talk to me. Tell me why.” 

“I didn’t want to have to do this, you have to know Stiles, I’d never want to hurt you, but, I had to do this, you have to stay with me, we belong together, the two of us, we’re meant to be together. I had to get close to you, I had to be with you, I had to. You understand that, don’t you? Because of you, because I need you, I need to be with you, because I heard about the nogitsune, and I spent so long tracking you down, I had to kill that oaf they had assigned as your partner, had to get close to you, I thought the incubus would help with that, if I rescued you from it, except you didn’t need rescuing, and then Steph came along and she was your partner and I could never get you alone so I had to take care of her too.” Theo ranted.

“You killed Steph?” Stiles whimpered. 

“Of course I did! I had to Stiles! Don’t you see that? I had to. She was in the way. She was keeping us apart, and then I thought we were good, we were finally together, all I needed to do was figure out how to bring back the nogitsune and it’d be fine, I’d have the void version of you at my side and we would be completely unstoppable, and I really thought, I thought you’d be ready to accept that we belong together, because we do, having the nogitsune survivor as my mate, it was all I wanted, and you, you were everything I hoped you to be, all I had to do was convince you that it was the right thing, except then we come back here and the fucking pack and you, you were going to leave me and I’m not ready, I just need to find a way to bring back the nogitsune and then we’ll be together, we’ll be able to do whatever we want, able to kill anything I feel like, and, all that’s standing in our way is him. I kill him and you’re mine.” Theo shouted, turning back towards Derek, Derek and Stiles were both staring at him like he was insane, there was no way to bring back the nogitsune, they knew that, no way, at all. 

“Theo, you don’t have to do this, please.” Stiles pleaded.

“I have to. He has to realise that you belong to me. That you’re mine.” Theo shouted.

“I’m already yours.” Stiles whispered and Theo froze in his actions, his claws only a few inches from Derek’s chest. 

“What?” Theo said in shock.

“I’m yours Theo. You don’t need to kill him to prove anything, I’m already yours.” Stiles repeated and Derek felt his chest constrict.

“No, no, Stiles, you don’t mean that.” Derek whispered, trying to stand up and falling back down, unable to find the strength to get to his feet. 

“I do.” Stiles said with wide eyes, still sounding exhausted but not looking away from Theo. “I mean it, Theo, I’m yours, I’m with you, whatever you want, I’ll be by your side.” 

“Really?” Theo said, moving away from Derek and crouching down in front of Stiles with something like awe in his features, “You’re not lying to me? You really mean it?” 

“Theo, I’m yours. I’m already yours. I belong to you, with you. The reason I said I was leaving you, it was because I don’t know how to deal with this, because I don’t know how to cope with the feelings I have for you, because you wouldn’t feel the same about me, how could you? After everything you’ve seen? The worst things about me? How could you possibly want to be with me? And I thought some distance would help me to get over you.” Stiles muttered, sounding so tired, like he could barely keep his eyes open. 

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” Theo whispered, sounding like all his dreams were being answered. 

“You’ve been around me long enough to know when I’m lying, you know my all my tells Theo, you know everything about me, you know I can never lie to you, you know how I work, it’s one of the reasons why I love you, but, I never thought you felt the same way, if I did, I would have never said about leaving you.” Stiles confessed and Theo leaned forwards, cupping Stiles’ cheek gently.

“You should have said, if you’d said I never would have had to hurt you or your dad.” Theo muttered and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, I should have, but, I’m telling you now, that’s what’s important right? That you know how I feel now? We can leave together, find a way to bring back the nogitsune together, we can be together Theo, let’s just go.” Stiles whispered. 

“Okay, okay, yeah, definitely.” Theo nodded eagerly and Stiles smiled softly. 

“Good, Theo, I love you.” Stiles said and Theo grinned blindingly.

“I love you too Mica, god, I love you so much.” Theo said, leaning in and kissing Stiles, Stiles leaned forwards, embracing the kiss as best he could, smiling gently against Theo’s lips as Derek stared in horror, he couldn’t believe this, Stiles was in love with Theo? But, he’d not said anything to Erica, and from what Erica said, Stiles pretty much tolerated Theo, they were even maybe friends, but he didn’t love him, no way, unless Stiles didn’t tell Erica, which was a possibility. It didn’t make any sense, there was no way that Stiles would want to bring the nogitsune back, he had to be lying, but Derek couldn’t figure out why, he just, he didn’t know much, but, the one thing he knew for absolute definite was that Stiles would never bring the nogitsune back, never. Theo leaned into the kiss and Stiles shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable.

“Hang on, wait a sec, can we, just, wait, hang on, let me…” Stiles said, shifting until Theo was the one leaning against the car and Stiles was sat on his lap, Stiles leaned in again, initiating the kiss with a soft smile on his lips. 

Derek stared on in puzzlement, time felt like it had slowed down, noises echoing in his ears uselessly, he didn’t understand, okay, if Stiles was in love with Theo, then this was no longer a kidnapping, but, he couldn’t make sense of Stiles’ words. He got to his feet unsteadily, a hand still pressing against the healing wound on his chest, planning to do something, he just wasn’t sure what, maybe go over there and rip Theo’s throat out for hurting Noah, he wasn’t sure, he just, he had to stop this somehow, even if he didn’t hate Theo, even if Stiles did love him, the man had still hurt Noah, nearly killed him and Theo deserved to pay for that. Derek watched as Theo went pale, as he bucked his hips as if to throw Stiles off and yet Stiles clung on tightly, leaning his full weight against Theo and keeping their lips locked together even as Theo tried to push him off, it didn’t look like either of them were enjoying the kiss but he was too injured and too exhausted to react, to interrupt, to say something, he was still reeling from the fact Stiles was in love with Theo, besides, he didn’t want to see, not really, his heart already felt like it was shattering in his chest, he didn’t need to bear witness to any further evidence of their love. Derek heard vehicles approaching and knew that the pack were arriving, he was so relieved, he was exhausted, but, Stiles was alive, that was all that mattered.

Theo raised his hand weakly, his claws extended and Derek saw in slow motion as they tore into the soft skin of Stiles’ throat. He stumbled forwards in disbelief, a denial torn from his throat, feeling like he was caught in some horror movie, his worst nightmare, this couldn’t be happening, this didn’t make sense, Theo loved him, he wouldn’t kill him, Derek caught Stiles as he fell backwards, away from Theo, pressing a hand to Stiles’ throat to try and stop the bleeding, tears already forming in his eyes, the shouts of the pack running towards them only background noise as he stared at Stiles in terror.

“Hang on Stiles, hang on, okay, take some of my energy, take some of my energy and you can heal, okay?” Derek said leaning forward and kissing Stiles, Stiles didn’t take any energy though, his eyes were glazing over, his heart slowing and Derek felt his breath catch, “No, Stiles, come on, come on, you can do this, don’t give up, please, please, don’t give up.” Derek pleaded, kissing Stiles again, ignoring the blood he could taste, no, he couldn’t lose Stiles, no, this couldn’t happen, this couldn’t happen, he couldn’t die, Stiles couldn’t die, not now, not ever, “Please, please Stiles.” Derek said, kissing him again, tears spilling down his cheeks when he realised that Stiles’ eyes had slipped closed, Erica was at his side in an instant, grabbing Stiles’ hands roughly and ripping the handcuffs away, tearing through the tape as quickly as she could, ignoring the blood on his wrists from where he'd struggled valiantly against the cuffs.

“Mica, come on, come on baby, take some energy.” Erica begged, kissing him and when nothing happened, tears streamed down her cheeks, “No, come on, Mica! Don’t you dare! You can’t do this! You can’t!” She screamed, freezing when Stiles’ skin glowed gold and his heart stopped beating. 

“What’s happening?” Scott shouted in panic from where he was at the other side of the road, helping an unsteady Allison to her feet, not knowing what was going on, Stiles’ heart had stopped but his skin was glowing, his magic was doing something, he just didn’t know what. Derek was clutching Stiles protectively, his eyes glowing red, practically feral and when Erica touched Stiles, Derek snarled at her, Erica turned instead to Theo who hadn’t moved, he was still leaning against the car, looking like he was ready to pass out. 

“Why did you do that!?” Erica screamed and Theo looked horrified by what he’d done. 

“He lied to me, he lied to me and I thought, I can’t, I didn’t mean to do that, I love him.” Theo replied, “He was going to drain my energy, kill me, I had to stop him, we belong together, Mica and me, the nogitsune survivor and me, we need each other.” 

“You should have let him kill you.” Erica snarled. 

“No, no, he needs me, I can save him, I can stop this, please, please just let me be with him, we’ll leave together, you’ll never see us again.” Theo muttered in exhaustion. 

“No, you’ll never see him again, you’re going to die.” She said, her claws protruding, “I told you if you hurt him I’d kill you.” She growled. 

“Wait.” Peter said, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll do it, you shouldn’t have to bear the burden.” 

“It won’t be any kind of burden to me. Mica is mine to protect and you hurt him. You die for it.” Erica said viciously before ripping her claws through Theo’s throat, killing him instantly. 

“Derek.” Peter said, approaching his nephew cautiously, Derek was cradling Stiles’ body, tears streaming down his cheeks, eyes glowing red, claws pressing against Stiles’ skin but not breaking it, he was shaking, trembling, Peter knew what Derek was going through, losing his mate, it had drove Peter insane, and, if they didn’t find a way to save Stiles, or to bring Derek back from the edge, his nephew was heading for the same fate. “Derek, listen to me.” Peter tried, reaching out as if approaching a wild animal and freezing when Derek snarled defensively at him, the rest of the pack were staring horrified, tears streaming down their cheeks at the sight of Stiles lying dead in Derek’s arms. 

“There’s a way to save him.” Erica said stiffly, swiping at the drying tears on her cheeks. 

“How?” Malia asked. 

“The council, this thing, what’s going on right now,” She gestured to the glow of Stiles’ skin, “It’s preservation magic, it basically keeps Stiles’ body in this state for the next twenty-four hours, he’s not dead, he’s frozen in this state. We get him home, we keep as much contact with him as possible, encouraging his body to heal, until somebody from the council can get here and heal him properly.” She explained.

“And they’ll be able to do that?” Cora asked hopefully. 

“They should be able to.” Erica said, they loaded Theo’s body into the SUV, Boyd and Isaac going ahead of them back to the Hale house, while Peter crouched in front of Derek and tried to get his nephew to calm down enough that he could see reason.

“Derek, you need to let go of him, we need to get him to the house, we need to save him.” Peter tried but Derek just continued to growl at him, it was obvious that Derek was more wolf than human right now.

“Enough!” Erica snapped, snarling at Derek and grabbing Stiles’ arm, “You let go of him right now Derek or he’ll die! You’re going to kill him! You understand that? If you don’t let us help, Stiles is going to die and it’ll be all your fault!” She shouted angrily, she understood that Derek was hurting, god it felt like her own heart was being torn from her chest, but, she knew Stiles had a chance, a slim one, but still a chance, and they needed to act quickly. 

Derek released his hold instantly, his eyes fading back to their normal green, filled with tears and looking at Erica with horror before his gaze turned back to Stiles, his heart still wasn’t beating and he wasn’t breathing and how? How could they save him? Stiles was dead. Stiles was dead and it was all Derek’s fault. He should have known, he should have figured out that Theo was evil, but he didn’t and Stiles had paid the price. 

“Come on, help me get him into the car.” Erica ordered and Cora helped her pick him up while Malia helped Derek to his feet, glancing at Peter uncertainly and he gave her a brief smile, things would be okay, Stiles would get through this. “Okay, he needs as much skin on skin contact as possible, get his clothes off and get cuddling, Cora, pass me his phone.” Erica ordered as Malia and Peter climbed into the back seat with Stiles, pressing their bare skin against him wherever they could. “Not you.” Erica said when Derek fumbled with his shirt, “You need to heal yourself, it looks like Theo nearly ripped you apart.”

“I’ll heal.” Derek growled. 

“I know you will, but until you do I don’t want you giving any energy to Stiles, if he lives and finds out he killed you by taking energy, he’ll never forgive himself.” Erica explained. 

“If he lives?” 

“He’s going to live Derek.” Erica said with determination, “I just need to call the council, get them to send help. Get in the car, we need to get home.” 

“Would kissing him help? It didn’t work with you or Derek?” Malia asked as soon as they arrived back at the Hale house and Erica shook her head, watching with worry as the entire pack stripped down and piled in around Stiles, touching him wherever they could. Stiles was lay on Derek’s bed, everyone else was surrounding him, Derek had gone into the bathroom, having a shower to remove the blood that still covered him and to show the extent of his injuries, then he could concentrate on healing himself.

“The preservation magic means he won’t be able to absorb energy in that way, and, I think,” She sucked in a breath, trying to detach herself from the words that were coming out of her mouth, convince herself that she wasn’t talking about her best friend, “Usually the kiss works when Stiles is unconscious. I don’t think he was unconscious. I think he was awake, aware, and he wouldn’t take Derek’s energy because he was too weak already, the energy needed to heal him would have killed Derek. I think by the time I got to him, it was too late, he wasn’t unconscious, he was about to die, he’d spelled himself a while ago, so that if it ever got to that point, the preservation spell would kick in, freeze him in that state for twenty-four hours, buy him some time for help to arrive, but, his magic works differently when it’s like this, any magic he has is frozen, he can’t draw energy from us like he can when he’s unconscious.”

“So how will the skin on skin contact help?” Scott queried. 

“The way Stiles explains it, it’s a different kind of magic, slower, deeper or something like that. With kissing he can draw energy but it comes at the cost of ours, he takes energy from us. Sleeping next to someone, with bare skin touching, it doesn’t take any energy but it boosts his own, like, you know how when we have pack cuddles, we feel better just by being surrounded by pack, that’s kind of like it, his body heals without taking anything, he gets comfort from the bodies surrounding him and it heals him, it still works even when nothing else does, but, like I said, it’s slower and deeper and I don’t know if twenty-four hours will be enough to heal his injuries and stop him from dying which is why I need to speak to the council.” She said, hoping that she was explaining it correctly and that Stiles wouldn’t kill her for doing a bad job of explaining magic to the pack.

“And you think they’ll be willing to help us?” Isaac asked. 

“Not us. Stiles. They’ll help him.” Erica said firmly before scrolling through Stiles’ contact list and dialling the relevant number. 

“Agent Stilinski, what can we help you with?” A voice spoke. 

“It’s not Stiles, my name is Erica Reyes and I need your help, well, Stiles needs your help, he’s hurt.” Erica said quickly, hoping that the voice at the other end of the phone wouldn’t hang up.

“Hurt how? What about Raeken?” Came the reply after a few seconds of silence. 

“Theo is dead. I killed him.” Erica admitted.

“And yet you want us to help you?” The voice said.

“I don’t care about you helping me, I need you to save Stiles. He’s dying!” Erica pleaded. 

“Tell me what happened.” Erica gritted her teeth in frustration, launching into an explanation of what had happened, Theo attacking Stiles and Noah, Noah being hurt, chasing down Theo and Stiles, trying to rescue him, Theo clawing him and Stiles’ preservation spell. 

“…which means we need you to send someone here who can heal him, save him.” Erica begged.

“It’s more complicated than that. Not all of our members are trained in healing magics.” The man began.

“Well send someone who is!” Erica shouted.

“None of our members who would be able to heal that level of injury will be able to get there within the next twenty-four hours, Stiles has the ability to draw energy from others…”

“Yes I know that!” Erica snapped impatiently, “Except he can’t use it right now because he’s in a fucking coma!” 

“I’m sorry, I’ll send someone as soon as I can, but, they won’t be able to get there for forty-eight hours at least.” 

“That’s too long!”

“You said that you’re using skin contact to attempt to heal him?” 

“Yes, but I have no idea if that’s going to be enough, if the spell wears off and he hasn’t healed, he’s still going to die! Please, you have to be able to do something, Stiles has done everything you’ve ever asked of him, no matter what, you have to be able to do something, you have to be able to help him, save him!” 

“Truly, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

“Teleport someone or transport them or something.” Erica begged.

“The only person powerful enough to open a portal and pull someone through is Stiles and as you’ve said, he’s not capable of doing anything like that just now.” 

“There has to be someone else, someone with enough magic to be able to come here and save him, it’s not asking much, after everything he’s done, all the jobs he’s taken, the danger he has put himself in to help you, you have to be able to do something, please, please, he needs your help.” 

“There’s honestly nothing I can do. I’m sorry, but, Stiles is on his own.” The voice said before the call disconnected.

“No, no, fuck you!” Erica shouted into the phone in anger, unable to believe that they’d be so useless when Stiles needed them. 

“So we keep contact with him and hope it’s enough to heal him?” Cora asked.

“Apparently so.” Erica muttered murderously, stripping down to her underwear and climbing into the pile that was formed around Stiles. 

“What happens if after twenty-four hours he hasn’t healed?” Derek asked from the bathroom doorway, his injuries had healed pretty rapidly, after all, Theo wasn’t an Alpha, even if he had stolen Stiles’ strength. 

“He dies.” Erica said sounding devastated, cuddling closer to Stiles.


	9. Chapter 9

Kira, Noah and Melissa arrived at the Hale house a few hours later, Noah had discharged himself from the hospital, he had a concussion and instructions to rest but he refused to stay in the hospital when his son was still missing, they couldn’t exactly explain that Stiles was at the Hale house, that he could still die, there would be too many questions and they couldn’t do that, not yet, not until they knew what was going to happen to Stiles. 

Noah’s face crumpled with agony when he saw Stiles lying so still in the middle of the pile, as if he was already dead, and, Derek guessed for all intents and purposes he was, his heart wasn’t beating, he wasn’t breathing, blood was no longer running through his veins, or from the wound on his neck, Stiles was frozen like this and when he unfroze he would either die or be healed, but they wouldn’t know until then and it was terrifying for all of them.

The next twenty-four hours were filled with fear and desperation, each of them pressing tightly against Stiles, hoping that whatever he received from this contact was going to be enough to save him, none of them daring to even mention what would happen if it wasn’t enough, none of them wanted to even think it, they had to believe that it would work, that Stiles would live, he couldn’t die, it wasn’t an option. 

“It’s starting to fade.” Malia said, almost exactly twenty-four hours after it had first started, the whole pack sat up to attention, staring at Stiles with apprehension as the glow started to fade slowly. 

“Mica? Mica I’m here, I’m right here.” Noah said, stroking Stiles’ hair softly, trying to offer whatever comfort he could. “Kiddo, I’m right here, okay, you just need to wake up, just, wake up, okay, I’m here, I’m right here.” 

Stiles’ skin began to change from gold to a deathly pale and everyone froze when his heart let out a slow thud and he sucked in a shallow breath, the wound on his neck began to bleed, although not as badly as before, it was still bad enough that it would kill him if he didn’t heal. Stiles opened his eyes, blinking slowly before his hand moved instantly, clamping to his throat and wincing in pain.

“It’s okay, I’m here Mica.” Erica said, kissing him quickly and allowing Stiles to draw energy from her, Stiles pulled away a few seconds later but the bleeding still hadn’t stopped. “You need more or you’re going to die Stiles, take more.”

“Don’t want…to kill…you.” Stiles panted in pain. 

“Stop being a fucking martyr.” Peter snapped, kissing Stiles and holding the contact until he pulled away a minute later, looking a little like he was on the verge of passing out, “That’s more like it.” He said to Stiles, seeing that the wound was much shallower than it had been.

“Good, my turn.” Scott said, gently moving Allison out of the way so he could kiss Stiles, not holding the contact as long as Peter, but, long enough for his head to start to spin, “Better?” He asked and Stiles nodded, the wounds were scabbing over although he still looked incredibly pale. 

Isaac was next, then Cora, then Boyd and Malia, by that point Stiles was looking much better, he was still recovering from nearly dying, but, not like he was actually about to die, he sat up, groaning slightly and rubbing at his wrists that had scabbed over too. 

“Well, I didn’t see that coming.” He commented dryly and there was a collective shaky laugh around the room before Noah pulled Stiles into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to his temple and whispering his relief over and over, “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Stiles asked, checking his dad for injuries, he recalled seeing his dad lying unmoving on the kitchen floor, the way his heart had raced and he’d wanted so badly to go to his dad but he could do nothing, he was helpless and he’d never felt so hopeless in his life. 

“I’m fine Stiles, a concussion and a few days rest, but, no lasting damage.” Noah reassured him, letting go of Stiles so that Erica could hug Stiles next. 

“What the hell were you thinking Mica!?” She scolded as soon as she let go of Stiles, looking him in the eyes and expecting a proper answer.

“You’re probably going to have to give me more a hint there Catwoman?” He said, his head ached and he wanted to go to sleep pretty badly but he knew the pack wanted to question him and he was used to doing debriefs under worse circumstances. 

“Kissing Theo! Trying to drain his energy when your hands were tied behind your back! When you had no magic and no way to even attempt to protect yourself! Is that enough of a hint?” Erica asked with frustration.

“How else did you want me to take the energy away from him? And it wasn’t like I could wait, he was about to kill Derek, I had to do something, it was a long shot anyway.” Stiles sighed with exhaustion. 

“This can wait, you’re tired, we should let you rest.” Derek said and Stiles shrugged. 

“I need to call the council, let them know what Theo did and that I’m still alive and all that.” Stiles said. 

“I already told them all that, I asked for their help in saving you and they said they wouldn’t be able to get anyone who had that healing capability here within twenty-four hours.” Erica explained, Stiles pursed his lips slightly in thought and then nodded. 

“Yeah, that’s probably right, oh well, couldn’t be helped.” He dismissed.

“Couldn’t be helped!?” Lydia said incredulously, “Stiles, you could have died.”

“Yeah, I’m aware of that, thanks.” Stiles said sarcastically, “One of the perks of the job.” He muttered. 

“Okay, so we know that Theo was planning to find some way to bring back the nogitsune, and that he believed the two of you belonged together and all that, but, what set him off? Why did he kidnap you? I mean, did you tell him you didn’t love him or something?” Allison asked and Stiles shrugged self-depreciatingly. 

“I know, I mean, who knew it was so easy to fall in love with me, right?” He attempted to joke and Erica rolled her eyes.

“You’re not answering the question.” Cora scolded, Stiles sighed in exhaustion.

“It means, I told him I was going to talk to the council, discuss the job here, or you know, some kind of compromise, where I could stay here with dad, but, you know, still go do the odd assignment elsewhere, I told Theo I’d get him an in with the council, that he could start training as a student, and that I’d only be a phone call away. And, well, he didn’t take it very well.” Stiles muttered.

“Understatement of the century.” Malia muttered sarcastically.

“Tell me about it.” Stiles laughed. 

“So, you’re going to take the job then?” Scott asked sounding hopeful and Stiles shrugged. 

“I was planning on doing yeah.” Stiles admitted and Derek felt his heart soar, if Stiles was around there was going to be plenty of opportunities to fix things between them, plenty of time to convince Stiles that Derek wanted him in the pack without confessing to his earlier lies, without Stiles hating him. 

“That’s great news!” Lydia smiled and Stiles smiled a little sadly, looking like he was ready to pass out again. 

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not going to be here all the time, but, I’ll be here a lot more than I have been the past few years.” He said, all of them looking a bit upset at that news.

“When you say you’re not going to be here all the time, how often are you going to be here?” Erica whispered and Stiles shrugged. 

“I don’t know, there’s a lot to work out, I haven’t even told them that I’ve accepted the job yet, and, really, I don’t know how other members of the council are going to take it, apparently I’m quite a valuable field asset, I’m surprised Steve even suggested taking me out of the field and I don’t know if everyone else is going to be happy about it. So, you know, we’ll need to discuss that, and there’ll obviously be a pay drop, which is fine, because I’ve got plenty saved, but, if I want to get a house in town I’ll need to be getting a steady salary or will they pay for the house as accommodation, I don’t know how it all works, there’s lots to discuss.” Stiles rambled.

“But you don’t need to get a house, you can just stay here with us.” Kira smiled and Stiles shook his head vehemently. 

“No thanks.” He said firmly and Derek knew better than to try and persuade Stiles, just from the look on his face, he would not change his mind and trying to would only result in an argument which none of them wanted right now. “Anyway, thanks for the help with Theo but I really need to call and give a debrief and stuff.” Stiles said, clambering slowly to his feet despite the fact he looked ready to sleep for a month. 

“Stiles, you’re being ridiculous, it can wait until the morning.” Erica pouted.

“Yeah, my partner just kidnapped me and attempted to kill the Alpha of Beacon Hills, before attempting to kill me too, sure sounds like the kind of thing that can wait to be discussed.” Stiles said sarcastically, swiping a hand across his eyes in exhaustion and picking his phone up from the side, Derek tried not to tell Stiles to stop being an idiot and to come back to bed, because if he wasn’t going to listen to Erica, he sure as hell wasn’t going to listen to Derek. 

“Agent Stilinski?” 

“Yes sir.” Stiles replied seriously, moving towards the stairs and into the living room, the pack following after him cautiously, sitting in the living room when Stiles went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. 

“I assume this means you’re healed?” 

“Yes sir, pretty much.” Stiles replied and Erica growled quietly at him, Stiles rolled his eyes, “I mean, I will be.” 

“Good. So, tell me about Raeken. What happened? Did he say what he wanted?” Stiles launched into an explanation of everything Theo had said, including the fact that Theo had been the one responsible for killing Steph, in order to get to Stiles, they could all feel the guilt wafting from Stiles when he explained that, that Stiles felt it was his fault, that Steph was dead because of him. That Theo had gone looking for the nogitsune survivor, that he’d wanted to bring the nogitsune back somehow, how he’d used the tattoo link to drain Stiles of his energy, prevent him from fighting back, and then planned to take him away from Beacon Hills, until Derek and Allison had caught up with them and how Derek had fought Theo while Allison tried to get Stiles back, how Theo had knocked her out, been about to kill Derek and Stiles had lied to him, told him that they were in love and Stiles wanted to be with him, then drained him of energy when they kissed, up until Theo slashed at his throat in an attempt to dislodge Stiles and how he’d entered a preservation state in an attempt to save himself. 

“…I think that’s everything.” Stiles finished looking exhausted. 

“Good, you’ll write a full report tomorrow?” Steve asked. 

“Yes sir. It’ll be with you first thing.” 

“Great, now, about the job, do you want to take it? If not, I’ve got an assignment for you, number eighteen on the watch list is up to his tricks again and I think a visit from you will put him in his place.” Steve commented and Derek growled, Stiles was in no state to be going off on an assignment, he looked ready to collapse as it was, except Stiles sat up straighter, his attention on the phone in his hand. 

“I want it sir. I’m aware that there’s a lot we need to discuss, but, yes, I’d like to take it if the offer’s still on the table.” 

“It is, I’ll send you through some more information, explain the benefits, pay rates etc, have a read through and then we’ll go through any queries you have. But, about number eighteen, you want me to send someone else to deal with him? I thought given your history with him and the people close to him, you might want to handle it personally?” Steve queried. 

“Yeah, yeah of course I will. I can be at the airport in,” Stiles glanced at his watch, “An hour and a half?” 

“Stiles.” Erica whined but Stiles ignored her. 

“If you’re sure?” Steve said.

“Yeah, definitely, I’ll handle it, it won’t take me long, I can be there and back in a couple of days.” Stiles muttered, “Send me the file with what he’s been up to this time?” Stiles asked.

“It’ll be waiting for you on the plane.” Steve replied, “I’ll have a jet waiting for you at the airport for when you get there, you can rest on the plane, handle him, and be heading home in no time, I’ll send you the information on the job in Beacon Hills for you to review on the way home.” Steve confirmed and Stiles nodded before hanging up.

“You can’t be serious?” Scott said, “Stiles, you’ve literally woken up from nearly dying like an hour ago! And you want to go on a job right now?” 

“It’s important, this guy has been on the council’s radar for a while, he needs to know we’re watching his every move, it keeps him under control. It’ll be a warning, nothing else, no fighting, no danger, just a few threats and then home again.” Stiles sighed. 

“There’s no way to talk you out of this?” Noah asked sounding weary and Stiles shook his head, “You’ll be careful?”

“Aren’t I always?” Stiles replied. 

“For someone so careful you seem to get hurt a lot.” Isaac muttered and Stiles shrugged. 

“One of those things.” He said easily, “Anyway, I need to head home, grab some clothes for a few days.” 

“One of us should come with you.” Peter said suddenly and Stiles shook his head. “It makes sense, you’re low on energy, you’re still healing, you shouldn’t be alone out there doing god knows what.”

“I’ll be fine, I’ve done it plenty of times before feeling a hell of a lot worse than this, besides, I’ll be back before you know it.” Stiles said. 

“Where are you going?” Erica asked looking miserable but resigned, knowing she wasn’t going to get Stiles to change his mind, moving towards him and hugging around his ribs, burying her head in his shoulder. 

“England.” Stiles said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “Don’t worry Catwoman, I’ll be back in a few days.”

“I’m going to miss you.” 

“You won’t have time to miss me.” Stiles joked, “But, I really do have to get going if I want clean clothes for the trip.” 

Despite Stiles’ protests the entire pack accompanied him and Noah to the airport, Stiles told them they were being ridiculous, but, Derek was terrified, Stiles still looked pale and the wounds on his neck were only just healed, thin pink scars on his skin, Derek didn’t want to let him out of his sight and instead Stiles was flying off half way around the world. The private jet that was waiting for him was pretty awesome, Derek had to admit that, it was seriously luxurious, a power shower, king size bed, fully equipped kitchen and lounge area was just the start. It was larger than the loft that Derek had shared with Laura in New York and he stared in awe as Stiles dumped his rucksack on the nearest sofa and picked up the file that was waiting for him on the side, pressing a button that Derek hadn’t noticed underneath the bottom side of the television stand and a panel slid up at the side of the plane, revealing an assortment of weapons and protective equipment. 

“Okay, well thanks for the lift guys, but, honestly, I’ve got to get going.” 

“You’ll be home in a few days?” Noah asked again and Stiles grinned at him. 

“I’ll call you when I land and again before I set off home, three days, tops.” Stiles said, giving his dad a quick hug. 

“Alright, please be careful, I love you.” 

“Love you too dad. I promise I’ll be careful, okay?” Stiles said, Noah nodded but he looked tearful, Erica held Stiles so tightly that Boyd had to pull her off when Stiles indicated he couldn’t breathe, the pack hugged him goodbye one-by-one except for Derek who didn’t know how Stiles would feel about Derek hugging him. “I really need to get going, so, you know, get your asses off the plane already.” Stiles joked, looking a little tearful himself before they all climbed off the plane looking upset but waving at Stiles enthusiastically as the jet set off. 

Stiles collapsed into the sofa as soon as the plane started to move and the pack were out of sight. He was exhausted, his hands were shaking and, honestly, he was still reeling from Theo’s betrayal, Steph was dead because Theo had wanted Stiles, her death was on his hands, he pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his hands around his knees and rested his head on them, allowing the tears to slide silently down his cheeks, Steph was dead because of him, Theo had been driven insane by the thought of the nogitsune, Stiles felt like everything he touched turned to shit, he was so glad this assignment had come up, he couldn’t have stayed with the pack, not when he wanted the comfort he knew they’d offer, he couldn’t deal with it, he wanted their comfort but he didn’t deserve it, this was his fault, Steph’s death was his fault. He couldn’t be around them right now, leaving was the best thing he could do, until he could process this in his own way. 

Stiles called when he landed, just like he said he would, Noah had been practically pacing a hole in the floor as he waited for Stiles to get in touch, muttering about how he knew he shouldn’t have let Stiles go, that he wasn’t in the right state of mind to be going off by himself. They all knew that, they were all aware of the stench of guilt that rolled off Stiles from the second he had told Steve about Theo killing Steph, they knew Stiles was trying to deal with it in his own way, however that was, but, still, watching him fly off half way around the world when they knew he was upset and his head wasn’t in the right place, it didn’t sit well with any of them. 

The phone call was brief, Stiles calling to tell Noah that he’d landed safely and he’d call when he was on his way back, he sounded tired, like he’d barely slept, Noah hated that, Stiles needed sleep, he needed to rest to heal properly, he knew his son, knew he was punishing himself right now for what had happened to Steph, he wanted to tell Stiles that it wasn’t his fault, that Theo was the one to blame, but, he didn’t want to cause any more distraction than necessary, Stiles was on an assignment, by himself, half way around the world, he needed Stiles to be safe and to concentrate solely on the task at hand. 

“We should have stopped him, we shouldn’t have let him go.” Erica muttered eighteen hours later when they still hadn’t heard from Stiles, the more time that passed without contact the more convinced she became that Stiles was dead, that he’d been killed because he was distracted, she shouldn’t have caved so easily, she should have told Stiles that she wasn’t letting him go, she should have fought him if she had to, not that she really wanted to, she knew Stiles could kick her ass without any issues, but, still, she should have tried harder, if Stiles was dead it was going to be all her fault, she knew he wasn’t in the right frame of mind, knew he was still recovering from Theo, still processing what that bastard had done and she’d let him leave.

“You know you couldn’t have stopped him.” Noah replied, trying to reassure Erica that it wasn’t her fault. 

“Bullshit! I could have tried harder! I should have tried harder! And he was weak, at low power, I could have taken him on. I could have fought him, beaten him, made him stay here where he was safe!” Erica snapped and Noah shook his head sadly. 

“And you think Stiles would let you get away with that?” He asked. 

“He’d understand why I was doing it! To protect him! Not let him go half way around the world by himself when he just found out that the guy he fucking trusted with his life killed his friend!” 

“If I’d known that keeping Stiles here was an option then I would have stopped him, but you were both said there wasn’t even any point arguing with him.” Scott muttered murderously and Erica flashed golden eyes at him.

“We said we wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it, and if we couldn’t talk him out of it then trying to hold him here against his will wouldn’t have ended well for any of us.” Noah said. 

“I’m pretty sure I could have kept Stiles here if I knew I could argue with him.” Scott argued. 

“You saw him fight that demon and you really think you could go up against him? That you could beat him?” Lydia scoffed and Scott growled at her. 

“Yeah, I think I could have done, but you didn’t even give us a chance to try and talk him around.” Scott said to Erica and Noah who both rolled their eyes. 

“If you can beat Stiles in a fight I’ll let you call him your best friend again, but, guess what, it’s never going to happen, and, you know why I know that? Because I know Stiles, unlike you.”

“Yeah and the only reason I don’t know him as well is because you kept this whole thing hidden from us, you should have told us what he was doing the past three years so we could have stopped him! Protected him! Made sure he didn’t do idiotic things like trust fucking Theo!” Scott shouted.

“He wanted to tell you! He was going to tell you, except, oh yeah, you deleted his voicemails and never called him back!” Erica sneered and Scott flushed guiltily. 

“That was an accident! He had plenty of times to tell me after that and he never did because you had wormed your way into his life!” 

“Wormed? Honestly? I didn’t do anything sneaky Scott, I was there for him when you weren’t. I was there for him when he needed a friend and you were too busy fucking Allison to give a shit about him, you weren’t there for him Scott, and you want to hate me because I was? Because I cared about him and listened to him when nobody else did?” 

“That’s not true! I would have been there if I’d known he was hurting, I just, I thought he was fine, the nogitsune was gone, Stiles was okay.”

“Stiles had been possessed by a fucking demon! On what planet would you expect him to be instantly okay? Yeah, I get it, Allison nearly died, you needed to be there for her while she was in the hospital, but, Stiles needed you too, he needed to know you didn’t blame him, that it wasn’t his fault, that it wasn’t that he was too weak to stop a demon from running around in his body, that the demon was just too strong, that it would have happened the same way with any of us, and you never, not once, came to see him, never talked to him outside of pack meetings, barely spoke to him during pack meetings, you stopped being any kind of friend to him when he needed you most!” 

“Erica.” Derek scolded, it was evident that Erica’s words had hit a sore point with Scott, he looked to be on the verge of tears but Erica didn’t feel any guilt over that, Stiles was probably dead and it was her fault and she should have done more, her fear was quickly turning to anger, at Scott, at the pack, at Stiles, at anyone and anything, because Stiles was never going to come back and she’d seen how much pain he was in, how much guilt he was feeling and she’d still let him go. 

“And you! Don’t even get me started on you! Stiles needed the fucking pack around him, he needed to know he wasn’t alone, that nobody blamed him or hated him or couldn’t stand to look at him after everything that demon had done, and what do you do?! You take that away from him too! You made him think he was nothing to any of us! Is it any wonder he’s run off half way around the world rather than be here? Because he’s hurting and he’s grieving and he’s still healing and god forbid he can let his walls down around the pack! If you hadn’t lied to him in the first place then he would have stayed here and healed properly and dealt with things and not gone running off on the first assignment he can get where anything could have happened to him, and, if, if he’s dead…” Her words trailed off as she sobbed loudly, “If he’s dead, god, it’s all my fault, it’s all my fault, I never should have let him leave.” She said, sobbing so brokenly that everyone moved to her instantly to comfort her. 

“Hey, listen to me Erica,” Noah said firmly, resting a hand on her shoulder, “When has Mica ever let you down? He said he’ll be back and he will be. In one piece. Alive and well. Because this is Stiles we’re talking about. Do you honestly think some random on a watchlist is going to be the one to take him down? He’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s capable of taking care of himself and he is going to be absolutely fine.” He said confidently and Erica looked at him, taking in the steady beat of his heart, Noah believed that, he truly believed that Stiles was going to be fine. 

“Okay.” She muttered, blinking back unshed tears and looking at Scott and Derek apologetically, “I shouldn’t have snapped at you, I’m sorry.” 

“You were worried, I understand, I am too, we all are, but, Noah’s right. Stiles can look after himself. He’s going to be fine.” Derek reassured her, willing himself to believe that, he had to believe that, otherwise he was going to go out of his mind.

They all moved to the living room, they were all exhausted, waiting for Stiles to get in touch, waiting to know that he was okay, eventually they all succumbed to sleep in the early hours of the morning nearly thirty hours after Stiles had arrived in England. Noah’s phone woke them hours later, it was ringing quietly, afternoon sun streaming in through one of the windows, the pack all sprawled over each other, taking comfort from each other, Noah was searching around in the blankets all over the floor, attempting to find his phone when it stopped ringing. 

“Got it!” He snatched it up victoriously, just as it tinged with a message. “Voicemail.” He informed them excitedly, already bringing up the message and putting in on speaker for everyone to hear. 

“Hey dad, just letting you know I’m okay, I’m on my way home now, I’ll be back in about twelve hours roughly, which will be the middle of the night with you guys, don’t freak out if you hear anyone coming into the house, our house, I mean, I’m not sure if you’ll still be at Derek’s or what but, if you’re at ours, it’ll just be me coming in. See you soon, love you.” Stiles ended the call and Noah felt sheer relief flood through him, Stiles was safe, he was on his way home, it was obvious that everyone else shared in his relief from the way that they all grinned, gripping onto each other tightly and relaxing for the first time since Stiles had left. 

Noah tried calling him back but Stiles’ phone was turned off, no doubt for the flight, he left Stiles a message, telling him that they were looking forward to him coming home and that they’d meet him at the airport before Noah settled back, looking more relaxed than he had done in the past few weeks. Stiles was on his way home, Theo was dead, the demon was taken care of and Stiles was planning on moving back to Beacon Hills permanently, things finally felt like they were going to be okay. 

Stiles’ flight touched down at the airport earlier than he expected and he disembarked tiredly, he hadn’t slept since he’d left town, the one time he had his nightmares had returned worse than ever and there had been nobody there to convince him it was only a dream, it had taken him a good couple of hours to calm down enough to get his breathing back under control, to realise that Theo was dead, that Steph wasn’t trying to rip him apart for failing her so badly, that the nogitsune hadn’t returned and taken control of his body again, murdering all the people he cared about most in the world. 

He slung his rucksack over his shoulder and walked along the tarmac to get to the terminal, the downside to having a private jet was the trek from the plane into the terminal, but, he could handle that, even if he was so tired he felt like he could drop where he stood. The last thing he expected to see was the entire pack gathered in the terminal, Scott and Erica holding a banner that had ‘Welcome home Stiles’ scrawled across it in bright pink sparkling writing, Stiles stared at them stunned, he blinked a few times, thinking that perhaps he was so sleep deprived that he was imagining things, except, the pack were still there when he opened them again, all wearing identical grins and waving at him like lunatics. The very few people that were in the airport at that time were staring at the pack and then Stiles, laughing and taking a few pictures, no doubt to tell their own relatives about later on. 

“Um, hi?” Stiles said in confusion, unable to understand why they were all here waiting for him, when they should probably be asleep, he was certain at least a few of them had work and class in the morning, a few hours from now, the last thing they needed to be doing was coming and meeting Stiles at the airport. 

“You look like you’re about to drop.” Erica grinned, pulling him into a hug which Stiles reciprocated, holding her tightly for a second before letting go, barely having a second to breathe before his dad was pulling him into a hug next. 

“Have you slept at all since you left?” Noah muttered in concern, looking at Stiles and checking him for any new injuries that he might have sustained and sighing with relief when Stiles looked exactly the same as he had when he left, the pink lines on his neck where Theo’s claws had torn into him had almost completely faded, Noah wasn’t sure they would ever go completely, but, they were not as bad as they could have been and at least Stiles was still alive.

“A bit yeah.” Stiles admitted, he sounded exhausted, weary, like he was bone tired and ready to sleep for the next week. 

“Come on, let’s get you home and then you can sleep.” Scott said, slinging an arm around Stiles’ shoulder and leading him out of the airport. 

They all ended up back at the Stilinski household, Stiles didn’t say much about his assignment, just that he was fine, he’d threatened the target into behaving and he shouldn’t be an issue in the future, Erica figured there was probably more to the story than Stiles was saying, considering he usually gave her all the details, but she put it down to exhaustion, Stiles looked beyond tired, he looked like he hadn’t slept in days, the dark bags under his eyes reminded her of the time he was possessed and she hated it, hated seeing him so defeated. 

Stiles was leaning against the kitchen counter, his eyes slipping closed almost against his will, a hot chocolate cooling on the side, Melissa had given him a fond smile and a motherly kiss on the temple when she’d passed it to him and Stiles had looked ready to burst into tears. It was obvious to Erica, and she was sure the others were aware of it too, that Stiles was hurting, not physically, but emotionally, that he was trying to process Theo’s betrayal, that he was trying to deal with Steph’s death now that he knew what really happened. If Erica was honest, she was just glad Stiles had come home, part of her expected Stiles to take another assignment and not even come back to Beacon Hills, she expected him to run and not look back, the way he always did when he had a problem, run away and pretend it didn’t exist or never happened or didn’t affect him. She hated that he thought he had to put on a front for them, Stiles should know that he could tell them anything, everything, and they would always be there for him, but, she had been right before, Derek had taken that away from Stiles when he’d told him he wasn’t pack, she didn’t blame Stiles for keeping his defences up, but, not for her, never for her. 

“Mica.” She whispered, moving close to Stiles and hugging his chest, her head resting on his shoulder and Stiles leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“I’m beat, I’m going to go to bed.” He muttered, going to push away from her. 

“Don’t.” Erica replied, holding him as tight as she dared. 

“Awww, don’t tell me you missed me?” He teased, although it lacked his usual enthusiasm. 

“You said you wouldn’t be gone long enough for me to miss you, but you were, as soon as the plane took off I missed you, I don’t want you to go again, I want you to stay here with us batman.” Erica confessed. 

“I’m always with you Rica, you know that.” Stiles mumbled. 

“I know.” She paused, “Steph would like it here.” Erica said and Stiles stilled, his heart rate increasing rapidly and the scent of grief and guilt flooding from him, the pack all wrinkled their noses at the scent but Erica just clung to Stiles a little tighter, “She wouldn’t blame you.” 

“Yeah, she would, she’s dead, because I trusted Theo, why wouldn’t she blame me? It’s all my fault.” Stiles said sounding pained and Erica glanced up at him, seeing the unshed tears in his eyes and resting a hand on his cheek. 

“That’s not true. She wouldn’t blame you Stiles. She loved you, not, I don’t think she was in love with you, but, god, she loved you. That much was obvious. She wouldn’t blame you and she’d be so fucking proud of you, of how much you’ve accomplished, of everything you’ve achieved, and she’ll be really glad that you took out that piece of shit, it is not your fault. Not ever. He killed her. Not you.” Erica said confidently. 

“I trusted him. God, he was the first person that I actually thought I could really trust since leaving Beacon Hills and he did this.” Stiles muttered sounding tearful, “It’s my fault, I told her not to give him such a hard time, I told her that I trusted him and that she should too, I got her killed Catwoman. It’s my fault she’s dead.” Stiles said, tears spilling down his cheeks as Erica shushed him, holding him as tight as she could. 

“It’s not, it is not your fault Stiles. Steph was a grown woman, she could make her own decisions, she could have told you she wouldn’t work with Theo, she could have decided to not go on assignments with you, she could have never joined the council, she could have done a thousand things, but she didn’t, she knew the risks that this life involves, just like you do, and she chose to stay with you. She knew how to fight, she knew how to protect herself, she was just as capable of taking out Theo as you were. You could have not trusted Theo and things would have probably ended the exact same way because Theo was crazy and he would have done anything to get to you, he did do anything to get to you, but he was the one that killed her and her blood is not on your hands, you understand that?” 

“I’m sorry.” Stiles sobbed and Erica clung to him, holding him up as he basically collapsed against her, Noah wrapping a hand around his back and holding him close, offering Stiles whatever comfort he could. 

“You’re exhausted Mica, let’s get some sleep okay? We’ll talk about this in the morning when you’ve had some sleep.” Noah said a few moments later and Stiles swiped at the tears on his cheeks before he nodded in agreement, starting to move towards the stairs. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Scott said, grabbing Stiles’ arm and leading him towards the pile of blankets and pillows on the living room floor, “You think Erica is the only one that gets to hug you right now?” Scott asked and Stiles stared at him in confusion, his brain not obviously working as quickly as usually, but, they could blame that on tiredness. Scott pulled Stiles down into the blankets and pulled Stiles tight against him, Erica rolled her eyes before she jumped in behind Stiles and cuddled up to him, Derek did his best not to get jealous with how close they were to Stiles, he wanted to be the one who offered Stiles comfort, but, he knew that right now wasn’t the best time to start down that road, he needed to be there for Stiles as a friend right now, Stiles needed the pack and Derek wasn’t going to make the mistake of taking that away from him again. 

Stiles woke in the early hours with a scream on his lips, tears in his eyes, his heart racing in panic, his chest heaving as he fought to get his breathing under control, staring around the room and calming down almost instantly when he saw the pack slumbering around him, he couldn’t help but feel relief that he hadn’t woken them. He caught movement and saw Derek’s eyes watching him, Stiles flushed with embarrassment, pulling away from Erica and Scott who were both still wrapped around him, swiping at his eyes and clambering to his feet, moving into the kitchen and pouring himself a mug of coffee, sensing a presence behind him and knowing it was Derek, he moved to the small table, sitting down and staring at the mug in front of him while Derek poured himself a mug and followed Stiles’ example. 

“Want to talk about it?” Derek asked quietly and Stiles shot him an incredulous look before taking a swig of his coffee, “I mean it, Stiles, if you want to talk, you said we should be friends, this is me being a friend, talk to me.” 

“Actually, I said we should go back to that relationship we had where I talked at you and you did your best not to murder me several thousand times over.” Stiles muttered and Derek shook his head fondly, a smile on his lips. 

“Yeah, I think that’s exactly what you said, so, talk at me instead then, and I’ll do my best not to kill you.” 

“Pfft, like you even could.” Stiles said rolling his eyes. 

“Is that a challenge?” Derek smirked and Stiles chuckled. 

“No, I wouldn’t want to hurt you, your pack need you in one piece to boss them around and growl at them and crap.” Stiles replied. 

“I think I could take you.” Derek said and Stiles grinned ferally, confidently, Derek wasn’t going to admit he found it incredibly attractive. 

“I’d like to see you try.” He smirked and Derek flashed his eyes red for a second before Stiles laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” 

“Want to do it right now?” Derek teased and Stiles’ heart skipped a beat before he frowned, all good humour gone from his features.

“Some other time maybe, I’ve got a lot to be doing.” Stiles muttered, going to where his rucksack had been dumped on the floor and pulling out his laptop and some paperwork.

“What have you got to do?” Derek asked in curiosity. 

“Look over the contract Steve sent me about the job, make any amendments I want, go back to them with a compromise, finish the debrief of the assignment in England, reply to several open cases with the relevant information, solve a few murders, nothing too major.” Stiles shrugged. 

“I’m glad you’re taking the job.” Derek said and Stiles stilled, looking up at him in surprise, “I mean, it’ll be nice to have you back in town, um, I mean, the pack they’ll like having you around again, they’ve missed you.” 

“So I’ve been told.” Stiles muttered. 

“So, what does this job involve?” Derek asked, trying to keep the conversation going, he liked talking to Stiles, liked listening to him talk, and, right now, while the rest of the world was asleep, if felt like they were the only two people in the whole world and Derek wanted to make the most of it, before everyone else invaded it. It wasn’t that Derek didn’t enjoy seeing the rest of the pack interacting with Stiles, okay maybe he didn’t enjoy watching them all kissing him, he really wished they’d stop doing that, but, he did like seeing the way Stiles grinned when Isaac made a sarcastic comment, or the way Lydia laughed when Allison pointed something out about Scott and Stiles, or the scent of contentment that surrounded all of them made Derek hum happily. He honestly, truly, enjoyed seeing Stiles with the pack, it felt so right, his wolf was happy, he was happy, but, yeah, as good as that was, as great as it felt, having Stiles to himself, it was a thousand times better than that. 

“Mainly it’ll just be warding the town, keeping an eye on things here, scaring away big, bad monsters and stuff like that, I’ll still be doing a few assignments,” Stiles said distractedly, flicking through the contract in front of him, “Any in the nearby vicinity and any that involve people that I’ve been dealing with, you know if they’ve established contact with me, built some kind of relationship, they might be unhappy with having to deal with new council members, so, there’s a handful of people that I’ll have to help if they get assignments, but, I don’t know, it looks like I’ll be in town most of the time, mainly on call, which I’m good at, king of research and all that.” He flicked through the pages, “There’s a slight pay drop, but, it’s still enough to keep me happy and it’s not like I really do it for the money in the first place, even if they never paid me again I’m pretty much set for life, and,” He paused for a moment, humming in surprise, “I can pick a house, make it my base of operations and they’ll pay all the bills and stuff, which is good, because my case files are already all over the place so the sooner my dad gets his living room back the better.” 

“There’s plenty of room at our house if you wanted to put your files there.” Derek offered, surprising even himself.

“Thanks, but that’s not a good idea.” Stiles said seriously and Derek looked up at him.

“Why not?” He asked.

“Come on Der, you know why.” Stiles said and Derek felt his heart skip at Stiles saying his name, recalled the way it sounded coming from his mouth when they were having sex, when Stiles was so close to his orgasm, as he called out Derek’s name as he came, it was ridiculous how much he loved him, how much Stiles affected him. 

“No, I don’t. There’s plenty of space, you can use one of the rooms as an office, nobody will mind you being there.” Derek insisted. 

“Do I really have to spell it out?” Stiles said with a raised eyebrow and Derek stared at him in confusion, “Derek, I am not pack, you know that, you said that. I’m not here because I’m pack, I’m here as a member of the council and having stuff at the pack house? No. Things would just get too blurred and confused and I’d end up overstaying my welcome and you’ll kick me out and then feel guilty about it and it just makes sense for me to have my own place, away from the pack, if they want to come see me that’s fine, but, that’s their choice, I won’t be coming to the pack house, not on a regular basis, not at all if you don’t want me there, I wouldn’t want to invade your den or whatever.” Stiles said and Derek cringed, god, he’d hurt Stiles so much, he couldn’t lie to him, he had to tell him the truth. 

“Stiles, about what I said, I should have never have said that, I was just, I was…” He trailed off, unsure how to explain it without Stiles hating him. 

“You were being honest Derek, it’s fine, I needed the reality check, and, it was the right thing to do, besides, it was a long time ago, it doesn’t matter.” Stiles said dismissively returning to the contract in front of him. 

“No, Stiles, it does matter, I hurt you…”

“Not on purpose.” Stiles interrupted, “And I needed the wake-up call Derek, I appreciate it. I was so convinced that I was capable of running with wolves, that I could handle whatever dangers were thrown at us, that I was good enough for you guys, and, I needed to realise that I wasn’t, and now, now I have so much more power, I mean, I’m still learning, every time I think I’ve learned the limits of my magic, I find out something else I can do, so, you know, power, and I feel, better, more confident, more capable, most of the time anyway, obviously, with the demon, I probably didn’t come across as that capable, but, that was an exception to the rule, if Theo had followed the plan, anyway, that’s not important, the point is, I’m stronger than I was, and, I’m, you know, happy, for the most part, okay, not brilliant right now, but, I imagine anyone would be kind of upset to find out the guy they trusted was out to bring back the demon that had possessed you and nearly killed people you cared about, not to mention him actually killing people I cared about, so, I think you can understand that.” 

Derek stared at Stiles for a few moments, not sure where to even start, how could Stiles ever think he wasn’t good enough for the pack? God, he’d never meant for him to think that, he should have never, never, said that to Stiles, he should have never told him he was a liability, Derek had fucked up and even though he knew Stiles would hate him, he had to tell him the truth, he had to set him straight, even if Stiles never spoke to him again, he couldn’t let Stiles continue to think that he wasn’t good enough, or that he was only good enough now because he had magic, no, Derek couldn’t let this go on. 

“Stiles…” He started, pausing when Stiles’ phone started to ring and several of the pack members stirred in the living room, Derek frowned at it, why the hell was it ringing in the middle of the night? Stiles glared at it in uncertainty before answering it. 

“Agent Stilinski.” 

“Hey, Stiles?” A female voice queried.

“Speaking.” Stiles said and there was a sigh of relief. 

“Stiles, it’s Jane.” 

“Jane, um, sorry, can you be more specific?” Stiles asked. 

“Har-har Stilinski, Jane Moore, we spent that sensational night together last year, you called me Sarah the whole night, left in the morning without so much as a goodbye, ringing any bells?” Jane replied and Stiles barked out a laugh. 

“You’re going to have to be more specific when you say sensational night together, I mean, there’s been plenty of them.” Stiles replied and Derek tried not to let his jealously flare, but, really, plenty of sensational nights? Was Stiles trying to provoke him? Trying to hurt him? “Oh no, hang on, I think it’s coming back to me now, it was after Tom and before Rita and Simon.” Stiles said and there was a grumble down the phone. 

“You’re hilarious.” Jane replied sarcastically and Stiles grinned. 

“Yeah I am.” He sighed happily, “Now, seriously, what’s up? Why aren’t you calling off your phone? And in the middle of the night?” Stiles asked, ignoring Scott, Lydia and Isaac that had wandered into the kitchen looking at him in confusion, glancing to Derek who looked ready to murder someone, before settling into the chairs around the kitchen table and waiting for Stiles to finish his call, Lydia flicking through the contract still sat on the table.

“Oh, right, yeah, you’re in California at the moment aren’t you, I heard they’d offered you a permanent position there, how are you finding it?” 

“I haven’t even signed the contract yet, how’d you hear about that?” 

“Are you kidding me? The child prodigy without a partner? The whole network is abuzz with the news, everyone wants to talk to you, try and win you over, after all, look how much you helped Steph, she couldn’t even manage a full shift before she started doing assignments with you, and, okay, I know she died, but that was on Raeken, not you, so, of course everyone is willing to risk taking on higher level assignments if it means they get to work with you, because you’re like a celebrity, like, honestly, nobody has ever completed the council’s tests that quickly before, and nobody has beaten their final test, you have outsmarted and outfought everyone and everything that’s been thrown at you, so, naturally everyone wants to be your new best friend now that Raeken isn’t around to take up your time and attention, which is kind of why I’m calling…”

“No.” Stiles sighed, rolling his eyes fondly. 

“You didn’t even let me finish…” Jane whined.

“I’m taking the job in Beacon Hills so I won’t be doing as many assignments and even the ones that I do take, they’ll be done alone, I’m not taking on a new partner.” Stiles said firmly. 

“But Stiles, please, I’ll be good, I’ll follow orders, I’ll stick to the plans, I’ll do everything you ask, and, I’m working hard on getting my shift right, I’m nearly there, I just, I need a little extra push.” Jane whined. 

“So you don’t really want to be my partner? You just want to manage your full shift?” 

“Well I’ll happily be your partner, but, I’m thinking that it’s going to be a no going off the tone of your voice, so, if you wanted to help me manage my full shift, I’ll be back stateside in the next week or so, I’ll come check out your new place, we can spend some quality time together again if you like?” Jane offered seductively and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“No thanks.” Stiles repeated, “Look, Jane, the full shift is about finding your inner peace, finding the real reason you want to do it, you know, protection or defence or attack or loyalty or whatever, you know that, even if you came to see me, I can’t guarantee anything, it’s a personal thing, Steph didn’t manage it because of me, I just helped her a little bit, she did all the hard work.” 

“Okay, well, what if I just came to see you and we could spend some time together?” She tried. 

“Another sensational night?” Stiles laughed. 

“Well it was pretty mind-blowing.” Jane replied. 

“It was pretty standard for me if I’m honest.” Stiles joked and Derek felt his jealousy flare up again, the thought of Stiles being with other people made him so jealous, he wanted to be the only one that got to be with Stiles like that, and he should have been, it was his own fault, he was the one that pushed Stiles away, if he hadn’t, then they could have been together, they could have been happy, or, Stiles would have never gone away, never learned about his magic or how to control it, he would have died after a random encounter with a creature, Derek had pushed him away to protect him, he’d tried to do the right thing, even though it had felt so wrong.

“Well if that’s standard I’d love to know what mind-blowing is like for you.” Jane said. 

“Fortunately for you, you’re never going to find out.” Stiles teased. “Now, if you don’t have an actual emergency, can I go back to what I was doing?” 

“Alright, fair enough, have you been sent case number seven, eight, four, six?” She asked and Stiles spun on his heel, glancing around at the case files before he snatched a file up from the side. 

“Yeah, I’ve got it here, this is the case you’re on at the moment?” Stiles said, turning to the nearest counter, placing it down and flicking it open, leaning over the counter as he read it, the rest of the pack slowly stumbling from the living room into the kitchen, watching Stiles as he worked, regardless of the fact it was the early hours of the morning, they were all awake, ready and waiting to hear what he was working on now, Derek wasn’t going to admit that maybe his gaze was hovering a little lower than everyone else’s but, when Stiles was bent over the worktop like that, where did anybody really expect him to look?

By the time Stiles got off the phone with Jane, almost an hour later, they were all wide awake and ready to face the day, Noah’s alarm was going off upstairs and Derek knew his own shift was due to start soon, he finished the mug of coffee he had, disappearing upstairs to the spare room where they all kept at least a few changes of clothes and grabbing a quick shower before throwing on his uniform, knowing that he had to talk to Stiles but not wanting to do it when he knew he’d have to leave straight after, even if Stiles would probably kick him out. 

Derek and Noah had a quiet day thankfully, Derek needed the time to think, to prepare himself, to know what he could say to Stiles, he planned it to the word, ran it past Noah who grimaced slightly but agreed it was probably the best way to do it, to tell Stiles the truth before he found it out himself. 

Derek’s plan was thrown out of the window when he arrived back at the Stilinski household that evening and found it empty, the case files were gone, as was Stiles’ rucksack and any indication that Stiles had been staying here the past few weeks and Derek felt his heart race, his stomach drop like he was about to be sick, had he left? Had he gone? What the fuck was going on? He looked to Noah who wore the same expression on his features, except, Noah did something about it, marching forward and snatching up the phone from the side, starting to dial Stiles’ number before his eyes landed on a note on the side, picking that up instead. 

“What does it say?” Derek asked a few moments later when Noah seemed to have relaxed. 

“He’s still in town. He’s taken his stuff to his new place; the pack are already there and we’re invited for dinner.”

“His new place? Already? Where is it? How did he find it so fast?” Derek quizzed and Noah shrugged, picking up his keys and heading back out of the house.

“Let’s go see.” Noah said, getting into the driver’s seat as Derek slid in next to him and tried to calm the panic in his chest, how had Stiles found a place so quickly? He knew he should be relieved that it meant Stiles was serious about staying in town, but, he’d been hoping to talk Stiles around, get him to stay at the pack house. 

They drove out of town, taking one of the smaller roads out into the preserve and then turning off again down a narrow track that ran through the preserve. A minute later it opened out into a small clearing, there was a small stone cottage there, surrounded by the preserve on all sides, the packs cars were parked around the clearing, Stiles’ car was parked there too. The lights were on in the house and he could see movement in the windows downstairs, some of the pack were there, he guessed it was the living room, they were moving things around, obviously dumping Stiles’ belongings for him, Derek realised they couldn’t have been here that long. 

“Hey, you’re here earlier than I thought!” Stiles said and Derek glanced up, seeing Stiles leaning over the small balcony area that was outside one of the upstairs bedrooms. 

“It’s already nine Stiles.” Noah replied and Stiles glanced at his watch in surprise. 

“Oops.” He muttered before vanishing on the spot and Derek heard a squeak of surprise from Scott as he dropped a box inside the house, Noah rolled his eyes fondly and walked in the front door, greeting the pack happily as he looked around the cottage. 

The living room was off to the left, several couches and chairs squeezed in there, the pack looking settled and comfortable, the stairs in front of them and the kitchen off to the right with a small table that was piled high with boxes, a quick glance showed they were filled with case files and Derek shook his head in amusement, he wondered if Stiles actually had any belongings that were useful to everyday life. 

Stiles was stood in the kitchen, pulling a tray of food out from the oven, it smelled delicious and Derek could hear his stomach rumbling hungrily, evidently Stiles could too if the grin he shot him was any indication. 

“Nearly burned it, didn’t realise the time, but, it looks okay.” He said, depositing the tray on the table and then looking around, “Oh, plates, damn it, I knew I forgot something.” He said, Derek was going to suggest that he go to the Hale house and grab some, after all, it couldn’t be more than a ten-minute run from here through the preserve, but, before he could suggest it, Stiles held his hand out and a stack of plates and cutlery appeared on the counter next to the tray of food. Derek wasn’t sure he was ever going to get used to Stiles’ magic, it was incredible. 

The pack all piled into the kitchen and the next ten minutes were crazy as everyone plated up their food and clambered back into the seats in the living room, it was a bit of a squeeze but everyone just about fit, and, more importantly, everyone looked happy. Derek wasn’t going to complain that he was sat on the floor near the big stone fireplace, not when he was sat next to Stiles who was shovelling food into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten all day, Derek wondered if he had done, he knew what Stiles was like when he was busy, he didn’t look after himself nearly as well as he should do. 

“So, how did you get this place? I don’t think I even remember seeing this road before?” Noah asked when everyone had nearly finished their food.

“It’s one of the council’s houses. They have safe houses in most cities, and, as Beacon Hills in a hive of supernatural incidents, they have a few here. They’re hidden until you read the address, kind of like Grimmauld place in Harry Potter, so, Steve sent me through a list of addresses and we drove around and looked at the houses, I mean, there was only like four of them, but, still, it gave me some options.” Stiles explained.

“And you chose this one? It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere?” Noah queried.

“Yeah, which is a good thing daddio. One, I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing my magic, two, if there’s an attack, I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing whatever creature is coming for me, three, if I have to leave town for a few days there’s nobody who’s going to notice me coming and going, same goes for late nights or early mornings or if I teleport and forget my car and so on, it’s good that I’ve not got neighbours watching my every move.” Stiles started, “Plus, the preserve is good, the energy I feel from it is good, like, it feels like I’m powered up just by being here, and, I’m not far from the nemeton, which is just about more of a magnet for trouble than I am so it’s handy that I’m close, less distance to teleport means less magic used before I have to fight, and, being here is a pretty central location so I can set up wards around the town and I’m about equal distance from all of them, again, less distance, less magic, you get it.” Stiles rambled and Noah looked at him in amusement, “Plus, I won’t be in your way anymore, which is good because I know you’ve been planning to ask Melissa to move in with you, and now Scott is living at the pack house, it’s not like her house is full, so, it makes sense you ask her to move in.” Stiles grinned. 

“What!? You and my mom are dating?” Scott stared on in astonishment while Melissa just looked at Stiles in surprise while Noah blushed. 

“It was…we were going to talk to you about it together.” Noah said, gripping Melissa’s hand tightly. 

“Well, now I’ve saved the talk, I’m okay with it, Scott it okay with it…”

“When did this happen!?” Scott asked and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“About six months ago, they thought they were being subtle, but, honestly, dad got all nervous and stopped wearing his wedding ring, it was pretty obvious, how did you not notice?” Stiles said and Scott pouted. 

“Alright, fine, I’m okay with it, but, still, you could have told me.”

“We wanted to talk to both of you about it.” Melissa said, “We knew it would probably be a shock and we wanted to explain things.” 

“Well, now you don’t need to, you’re dating, we’re okay with it, oh, oh, if you guys get married, we’ll actually be real brothers Scotty.” Stiles grinned and Scott laughed.

“Yeah, oh my god, yeah, that’ll be awesome, are you planning on getting married? Because we could be like best men and stuff.” Scott said excitedly.

“Hang on, let’s um, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.” Noah muttered, “Melissa? Would you like to move in with me?” Noah asked uncertainly and Melissa beamed.

“Yes, that would be, that would be great.” She smiled, giving Noah a kiss that they only broke when Scott cleared his throat pointedly.

“So, do you and Derek want a tour of the rest of the house? Everyone else has already seen it?” Stiles asked, apparently deciding that there was nothing further to discuss, his dad was with Melissa and he was happy, that was all that mattered. 

“You know you didn’t need to move out just to give us space, we’d be happy for you to stay there a little longer.” Noah said and Stiles shrugged. 

“Nah, it’s cool, besides, I’m twenty, I can’t live with my dad forever, and I really don’t want to hear anything I shouldn’t when I’m like enhancing senses for threats and stuff.” Stiles said easily, moving towards the stairs. 

“Can we talk about why you think threats would come after you specifically? Or why the nemeton only just attracts more danger than you?” Derek queried, following after them and Stiles ran a hand across the back of his neck almost nervously. 

“Right, yeah, I thought I’d mentioned that? Did I not?” He said sheepishly and Derek gritted his teeth to stop himself from cursing Stiles, “Anyway, so, yeah, this is upstairs.” He said, “This is going to be my bedroom,” He said, showing them a small room with a large bed and a wardrobe and a floor length window that looked out on the preserve, it was cosy looking and Derek could imagine spending days in bed with Stiles, looking out onto the preserve, rolling around in the covers, he had to stop those thoughts there, this house was much too small to be stinking it out with arousal. “And, of course, Erica demanded she had a room.” Stiles continued, showing them to a second bedroom that was much larger than Stiles’ room and was filled with a bed that would easily fit the whole pack, “But then Scott got jealous, so, it’s a pack room, open invitation, any of them want to stay at any point, they’re welcome to, but, obviously, I assume most of the time will be spent at the Hale house, but, you know what Erica’s like.” Stiles rambled.

“I heard that.” Erica shouted from downstairs.

“You were supposed to!” Stiles called back.

“What about this room?” Noah said, pointing past the bathroom to the last room upstairs. 

“Oh, that’s going to be my office I think, I mean, I’ve already starting dumping most of my files in there so, yeah, it’s going to my office.” Stiles said and Derek stared at the room in awe, he guessed it was supposed to be the master bedroom but instead it was filled with bookcases, files already filling several of them and a lot more boxes filled with files were on the floor, there was a set of double doors that opened onto the balcony at the other end of the room, a reasonably sized desk at one end of the room and a large square table in the middle of the room, it was kind of beautiful.

“Are these all your old cases?” Noah asked, picking up one of the files.

“Oh no, they’re all in the archives at headquarters, these are all the open cases at the moment.” Stiles said, “Well, actually, these are all the high-level cases at the moment, all the lower cases are handed out to other members of the council.”

“Wow.” Derek muttered in astonishment, there had to be a few hundred files in this room alone, the idea that Stiles was expected to deal with or help solve all of them was just ridiculous.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty amazing view, isn’t it?” Stiles said and Derek nodded, obviously Stiles didn’t realise just how impressive this was. “Oh, and I haven’t shown you the surprise room yet.” 

“Surprise room?” Noah asked and Stiles grinned.

“Well, the house belongs to the council, you have to expect that they have like a panic room.” Stiles said, leading them back downstairs and into the living room, he climbed over the pack and pressed a stone on the right-hand side of the fireplace and they watched in amazement as the fireplace moved back slowly and a set of stairs appeared on the left hand side. They followed Stiles down, the rest of the pack following after them, the stairs led down to a large open room, it was kitted out with fitness equipment, weapons, bottles of different coloured potions and ingredients, books, a wall of computer screens, honestly, it looked like a villain’s lair, and Stiles grinned. “Obviously I need to do a little redecorating down here, but, there’s plenty of space to work with.” 

“It’s amazing.” Noah said and Stiles blushed slightly. 

“Glad you like it.”

“I think this is perfect for you Stiles, and, it’ll be great to have you home, I’m going to be expecting an invitation to dinner at least once a week.” 

“Of course daddio, if I’m not on assignment obviously.”

“Obviously.” Noah replied a little sadly.

“Can we come back to the whole things coming after you specifically thing?” Isaac asked and Stiles shrugged.

“I mean, we can, but, you know, there’s like loads of files upstairs to sort through and I’m sure you guys want to go home and sleep and stuff.” Stiles replied.

“Stiles.” Scott growled.

“Right, sure, well, I kind of mentioned it before, you know, about how the nogitsune probably picked me because I didn’t know how to use my magic?” 

“Yeah, because Deaton got you to use it to make the mountain ash line, but then he never gave you any training.” Lydia said and it was obvious Derek wasn’t the only one pissed about that.

“Exactly, well, apparently, that wasn’t like a one-off, or, I mean, it was, in the sense that the nogitsune picked me because there was like a gap, a void, in me at that point, but, using my magic, it kind of sends some kind of, I don’t know what to call it, but, I’m kind of a trouble magnet, like, if something is going to happen, I’m likely going to be the one it happens to. I mean, it happens to all magic users, there’s a few theories about like, all magic comes with a cost, so, anything good you get, there’s bad going to happen too, but, I’m not sure how much I believe that, but, yeah, there seems to be like anybody who uses magic tends to attract danger or trouble.”

“You might as well tell them the rest. And…?” Erica prompted and Stiles glared at her. 

“And what?” Cora growled. 

“And, um, well, I guess, because I have more power than most, the trouble I attract is similarly correlated.”

“Meaning?” Peter queried.

“Meaning that the danger I tend to get into seems to be greater? But, you know, I can handle it, because of all that extra power.” Stiles said positively. 

“Just how powerful are you Stiles? And why do they call you the child prodigy?” Lydia queried and Stiles shrugged, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

“Not that powerful, I mean, I guess I have more than some people, but, um, yeah, I have a bit, and, erm, I think it was just a bit of a nickname and it kind of stuck, because I kind of learned what they were trying to teach me very quickly and like, one of the guys was a bit of an asshole, Richard, because I was able to do stuff he couldn’t even though he’d been there like five years already so he started calling it me, I think he thought it bugged me, and, it kind of did, because like, I came late to all of it, they’d all known about magic or supernatural stuff or whatever since they were kids and had always planned to join the council and I got in on a whim, so, I think he was a little jealous, but, you know, I worked my ass off, I was training eighteen hours plus a day just to try and catch up and he was taking a one hour session every other day, so, you know, I put the work in, it wasn’t like it came naturally.” Stiles rambled, “But, yeah, he called it me on a regular basis, and, then, it just kind of stuck, and everyone started calling it me and I just kind of, knew it pissed this guy off that they were calling it me seriously rather than sarcastically and I decided to embrace it I guess, but, you know, it’s not true, it’s not like I’m actually that good, I just, spent a lot of time researching and practicing and learning, and, really, I mean, okay, so I can teleport which very few people can do, and I can create portals, which also, not that many people can do, and, okay, so there was that one time where I caused a hurricane because I was, well, pissed off is kind of an understatement, more like I was ready to kill everyone in a five mile vicinity, but, like, I’m sure there’s a few other people out there that can do that, so, it’s not like that impressive…” He trailed off and the pack stared at him like he’d lost his mind. 

“A hurricane?” Allison said in awe.

“Yeah, you remember storm Emily about fifteen months ago over in Egypt?” Erica grinned and they all paled, yeah, they remembered that storm, it was all over the news because it had caught everyone off guard, it had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and very nearly destroyed one of the ancient pyramids before it disappeared without any indication, it had mystified everyone. 

“That was…that was you?” Isaac muttered and Stiles shrugged.

“Yeah.” He admitted. 

“He’s really underselling himself.” Erica said proudly and Stiles shook his head in embarrassment.

“I’m not.” 

“He is.” She insisted, “Stiles is one of the most powerful casters out there, it’s why he gets the high-level assignments, because most of them can’t do anywhere near what he can do, because he can do practically anything he sets his mind to, because he’s fucking awesome.” 

“And by high-level you mean the most dangerous?” Kira asked and Stiles nodded. 

“Not all the time though, some of them are pretty routine, so, you know, I’m not nearly dying on a weekly basis.” He said, moving back towards the steps to go back to the living room. 

“More like a monthly one.” Erica muttered and Stiles chuckled slightly. 

“Maybe.” He shrugged dismissively, “Anyway, so, yeah, there’s that, but now you know, and, I have files to work through and stuff…” He said, obviously indicating that they should probably go home, Erica however didn’t take the hint.

“Cool, you do that, I’m going to test out that bed, Boyd, want to come test it with me?” She grinned and Boyd glanced to Stiles who shrugged. 

“I would say don’t have sex in the pack bed, but, it’s not like you guys ever listen to me, so there’s not really much point.” Stiles said. 

“I’m sure your bed could see plenty of action too.” Erica grinned and Stiles shook his head in amusement. 

“Oh yeah, definitely, you know me, gals and guys in every major city in the world just dying to spend another night with me.” Stiles replied and Derek couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, he hoped he wasn’t, he didn’t want to think about Stiles sleeping with all those other people, he wanted to be the only one that got to be with Stiles like that, before he could ask more, try and find out if Stiles was joking or not, Stiles’ phone rang and he moved into the kitchen, laughing and joking with some guy called Dan. Cora and Isaac followed up after Erica and Boyd and Stiles called back that he drew the line at orgies, Dan laughing as Stiles explained he was just talking to some friends. 

“And here was me thinking you were all for orgies.” Dan replied and Derek realised then that Stiles hadn’t been joking, he’d obviously not spent all his time away studying and training and working, Derek tried not to feel jealous, after all he was the one who’d pushed Stiles away and Stiles was allowed to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted, he wasn’t tied to Derek in any way, even though Derek knew that logically, it didn’t stop the jealously that flooded through his veins at the thought of Stiles with anyone else. 

“One time and you’ll never let it go.” Stiles muttered in reply while Dan laughed brightly at the other end. Derek could tell it was going to be a long phone call, the rest of the pack disappeared upstairs and Noah and Melissa excused themselves, Stiles telling them he’d be over tomorrow and would help them move Melissa’s stuff in, Derek hovered in the living room, not sure if he should go upstairs or go home, he didn’t really want to leave, the pack were all here, and, he liked being close to Stiles, but, he wasn’t sure if he was welcome, Stiles had said it was an open invitation to the pack, but, still, he wasn’t sure if that included him. 

“Alright, give me ten minutes, I’ll check a few things and give you a call back.” Stiles said before ending the call and coming back into the living room, finding Derek there alone. “Hey, you okay?” He asked and Derek nodded feeling awkward. 

“The pack are all upstairs.” He muttered and Stiles nodded. 

“And you didn’t want to join them?” He asked, “I mean, I’m pretty sure they’re not actually having an orgy, I know you guys have very few personal boundaries, but, I’m pretty sure there’s a few people up there who wouldn’t be happy with an orgy, unless things have seriously changed?” Stiles queried and Derek laughed in amusement. 

“No, no, no orgies.” He smiled in bemusement, “I just, um, you didn’t want to stay at the pack house, and, erm, I didn’t know if you’d mind me staying here?” He asked and Stiles blushed slightly. 

“God, sorry, no, no, you staying here is cool, I mean, I said open invitation to the pack, obviously that includes you, with you being the Alpha and everything.” Stiles said, “Sorry, I should have been clear about that, if you want to of course, you don’t have to, just because they’re staying tonight, don’t feel like you have to, and, if you want, I can kick them out instead? If that’d make you happier? I know it can’t be easy having them around me so much when I’m not pack, so, I get it, if you want them to keep their distance a bit or whatever, I mean, I wouldn’t be overly happy about it, Erica would probably try and gut you, but, I could ask them to give me some space, if that works? You know, so you don’t look like you’re the one causing an issue, I know it’s scent related and stuff, that you can’t really help it, so, I don’t think you’re being purposefully awkward or whatever…”

“Stiles, stop, I’m happy to stay here tonight and you don’t need to tell the pack to stay away from you because you are pa…” He started to say that Stiles was pack, that he had always been pack and would be pack for as long as he wanted but Stiles’ phone started ringing and he snatched it up, indicating to Derek to just hold on one second, before sighing heavily and moving towards the stairs. 

“Emma, sorry, hang on one sec, Derek, sleep here, it’s cool, I’ve got to do some work, I’ll talk to you later.” Stiles said, stopping outside the pack room and indicating Derek should go in before he carried on down the corridor to his office and shut the door behind him, still on the phone to Emma this time. Derek opened the door to the pack room with a heavy sigh, ignoring the way that every eye turned to look at him almost pitifully. 

“Come and have a cuddle.” Cora said, pulling back the blanket and allowing Derek to collapse into the bed next to her, wrapping her arms around Derek and pulling him close, “You’ll make it right eventually Der, I know you will.” 

“I wish I knew how to do it without him hating me.” Derek muttered quietly, surprised when Erica snuggled into his other side. 

“Stiles won’t ever hate you for long.” She whispered and Derek nodded, trying to believe her but finding it impossible, he knew that if he’d been treated in the same way he’d treated Stiles then he’d never get over it, he fell asleep to the murmur of Stiles’ voice from the office, thoughts of Stiles filling his mind.


	10. Chapter 10

Derek woke in the morning to the scent of coffee, Erica was standing in the doorway of the room, her back to the pack as she held a mug of coffee in her hands, he got up slowly, rubbing at his eyes and running a hand through his hair as he stumbled towards the door. 

“What’s going on?” He mumbled. 

“Just listening in on Stiles’ phone call.” Erica said simply and Derek took a swig of the coffee from her mug before concentrating on Stiles’ voice, he was still in his office, it sounded like he was on some kind of conference call, there were at least three other voices talking to him. 

“Has he slept at all?” Derek asked. 

“Don’t think so, no.” Erica replied. 

“Is it some kind of emergency?” 

“From what I can gather, you know he was talking to Dan?” Derek nodded, “Yeah, well, the case Dan was working on, it’s turned out to be a lot bigger than they thought, Stiles found eight other cases that are open at the moment that could be the same creature, but, it’s a slightly different MO, and, he found the same events happening twenty years ago, he thinks they are some kind of ritual killings, a caster planning on doing some kind of blood magic spell, which is well above Dan’s paygrade.” 

“Let me take a guess, it’s still in Stiles’?” Derek queried.

“Yeah, definitely. But, the others aren’t happy about him going alone, they keep telling him he needs a new partner and Stiles is refusing, he says he can handle it.” Erica informed him.

“Do you think he can?” Derek asked troubled and Erica smiled softly. 

“Stiles could handle pretty much anything that’s thrown at him, he’s powerful Derek, really fucking powerful, he’s probably one of the most powerful casters in the world, not that he’d admit to that, you don’t need to worry about him being able to take care of himself, and, without Theo around to fuck things up, he’ll do even better than he has already.” Erica reassured him.

“I don’t think that’ll stop me worrying.” Derek admitted, Erica gave him a small smile and shrugged.

“It doesn’t stop me either, but, he’ll be okay, I know he will.” She looked to the office when the door opened and Stiles came out into the hallway looking harassed, his phone still pressed to his ear and his hands full of several case files, he glanced up and spotted Erica and Derek both standing there before he gave them a quick grin and carried on into his bedroom.

“No I told you, I’ll be there in a few hours, I’m still in Beacon Hills, but I’ll be on the plane in the next half hour, okay?” Stiles said, snatching up his bag from the bed where it was still sat unpacked since his arrival yesterday, “Alright, just, don’t do anything stupid until then and I’ll be with you in four hours tops, okay, yeah, sure, see you then.” Stiles said before disconnecting the call and giving Erica a small shrug. 

“You’re going then?” Erica said and Stiles nodded apologetically. 

“I’ll be back in a few days I promise.” He said, pulling his bag onto his shoulder and clutching the case files in his hands, “Tell dad I said bye and I’ll help him and Melissa move as soon as I get back?” 

“Of course I will.” Erica nodded looking a little tearful. 

“Love you Catwoman.” 

“Love you too batman, be careful.” She said, pulling Stiles into a tight hug, Stiles giving her a quick kiss on the temple before pulling away. 

“Always.” Stiles grinned, “I’ve got to run, tell the others I’ll be back in a few days.” He said, already turning towards the stairs, Derek reached out and grabbed his shoulder gently and Stiles turned back to look at him in surprise. 

“Call us when you land and when you’re leaving.” Derek said and Stiles nodded, blushing slightly before he grinned. 

“Will do. Got to run.” He said before vanishing on the spot, they heard his car start up a moment later and Derek shook his head in awe, he wasn’t sure he was ever going to be able to get used to Stiles being able to teleport. 

The pack woke up a few hours later, it took them a few minutes before they realised that Stiles was no longer in the house and Erica explained that he’d had to go on an assignment, that he’d be back in a few days. It was obvious that Erica was upset about him leaving, they all were, but there was nothing they could do about it, Stiles was already gone, Erica called Noah and told him and Noah invited them all over to his house to help Melisa move her belongings in, they cleaned up at Stiles’ cottage, not doing much more than moving the case files downstairs up to his office, knowing Stiles would want to sort his belongings out himself and then they headed over to Noah’s. Stiles called in the early afternoon to say he’d landed and he’d call again once he got a chance but it was going to be pretty hectic and he was sorry he wasn’t going to be there to help them move but he’d be back as soon as he could. 

The next few days were filled with activity, helping Melissa move her belongings to Noah’s, helping Scott gather his remaining property from his moms so that she could look at putting it on the market, along with work or college or any of their other normal daily activities, it kept them busy which was good, it didn’t make them forget that Stiles was out there, probably doing something dangerous, but, it kept them occupied, which was all that mattered. 

Noah’s phone rang when both he and Melissa were over at the Hale house for dinner, he sighed in relief when he saw it was Stiles ringing, he knew his son was capable of looking after himself, but the thought of him purposefully putting himself in danger never sat right with Noah and he hated when he was out on assignments, at least danger here meant the pack were around to back him up. 

“Stiles, you okay?” Noah asked, they could hear music in the background, people laughing loudly, Stiles was obviously in some kind of club. 

“Hey dad, I just wanted to call, check in.” 

“Is it over? Are you on your way home?” Noah asked. 

“Yeah, it’s, well, the immediate danger is over, there’s still a few loose ends to wrap up so I’m going to be here for a few more days, but, it’s nearly over, just wanted to see how you were going on?” 

“Oh yeah, we’re fine, Melissa is all moved in, are you sure this was an urgent assignment and not just a way to get out of helping with the move?” Noah teased. 

“Dad, I’m astounded you’d even suggest such a thing.” Stiles replied mockingly, “I really am sorry I couldn’t be there, I’ll be home as soon as I can, you can cook us a meal and I’ll tell you how great the house is looking.” 

“Don’t worry about it kiddo, I know you’d be here if you could.” Noah replied.

“Yeah well…” Stiles began.

“You are very attractive, let me buy you a drink.” A voice came over the phone, slurring slightly, the owner was obviously drunk and Stiles groaned. 

“No thanks.” He said firmly. 

“Don’t be like that, it’s a drink, not a marriage proposal, although, I’d totally propose if you’d date me?” The voice laughed and Derek could almost picture Stiles rolling his eyes at that comment. 

“Still a no, now can you go away, I’m busy.” Stiles replied. 

“I wasn’t done, come on, let me buy you a drink, don’t be such a prude.” 

“Get your fucking hands off me.” Stiles snarled, “Dad, I’m going to have to go, I’ll call you when I get on the plane.” 

“Don’t kill him.” Noah replied fondly. 

“I’m not making any promises.” Stiles said before ending the call, the pack sat in silence for a few minutes before Derek cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Does, um, does that kind of thing happen a lot?” He asked.

“What? Stiles having to deal with drunk idiots?” Noah replied. 

“I think he means Stiles getting hit on all the time.” Erica grinned wickedly, “Which it does. A lot.” She smirked and Derek nodded silently, his gaze on the table, he could completely understand why, Stiles was gorgeous, but, it just made his insides twist uncomfortably, even if Stiles didn’t completely and utterly hate him when he told him the truth, why would Stiles be interested in him when he could literally take his pick of anyone he wanted? 

“Yeah, I guess he does.” Noah nodded in agreement, “But, it’s nothing to worry about…” 

“Of course it is.” Erica said, “I mean, if you’re planning on trying to win him over, you need to be aware that there are plenty of other options out there for him, you’ll have to work your ass off for him to even consider you, right Noah?” 

“Oh, um, yeah, right, right, yes, he has lots of options.” Noah stammered and Derek wasn’t sure if he was lying or just trying to spare Derek’s feelings, but, either way it wasn’t exactly a surprise to Derek, he was well aware of just how much Stiles got around. 

“I know.” Derek said seriously. 

“I mean, you didn’t think there was only Theo to compete with, did you?” Erica asked teasingly. 

“No, of course not, I mean, Stiles said it himself, he’s got ‘guys and gals in every major city’, so, you know, it’s not like I’m not well aware of how desirable he is.” Derek admitted and there was a silence that stretched just a moment too long before Noah cleared his throat. 

“I really don’t need to be here for a conversation about how desirable you think my son is, you want to head home sweetheart?” He asked Melissa who shook her head fondly at Derek, giving him a light kiss on the top of his head, before taking Noah’s hand as the two went back to their own home. Erica was still staring at Derek with a calculating look in her eye, the rest of the pack looking faintly amused and Derek felt his cheeks heat up slightly in embarrassment. 

“When you say desirable, as in, you find him desirable? Or that you’re aware of how many people Stiles has been with?” Erica asked and Derek shrugged. 

“Both I guess, I mean, obviously I’m attracted to him, which you guys all know, but, you know, Stiles has obviously been with other people since he left, I mean, he said about having someone in every city and he was talking to Dan last night and they were talking about the one-time Stiles had an orgy which I really don’t even want to think about and then with Jane the other day she was on about a repeat of their sensational night together, so, I get it, and, I’m okay with that, I pushed him away, I told him that it wasn’t anything special and that it was a mistake, it’s not like I expected him to not be with anyone else or anything.” Derek rambled and Erica looked at him like all her dreams had come true before she schooled her expression into something more neutral. 

“Well, that’s a very mature way to think about things Derek.” She said calmly before she excused herself, saying that she wanted to go check on the cottage before bed. She was desperate to call Stiles, tell him that Derek was under the very incorrect assumption that Stiles was sleeping with multiple people, but, she thought it would be a hell of a lot more fun for her, and everyone else, to watch this play out. 

They still hadn’t heard anything from Stiles three days later and Derek was getting a bit worried, he thought that Stiles would have called by now, Scott suggested going for a run to burn off some energy and Isaac was the one who made them detour via the cottage to check everything was okay, all of them freezing when they saw Stiles’ car parked at the side of the building. They all looked at each other, as if they were worried they were imagining things before they all ran towards the cottage, Erica slamming open the front door so hard it smacked into the back wall, already calling out Stiles’ name. 

“W’at?” Stiles’ voice slurred sleepily from somewhere upstairs and Erica dashed upstairs, seeing Stiles sprawled on his bed, he’d obviously collapsed fully-clothed, exhausted onto his bed, falling asleep the instant he touched the mattress. He’d turned slightly, just enough that Derek could see one eye looking at them blearily, Erica pounced forward, landing on Stiles and cuddling up to him. 

“Batman you’re home.” She cried happily and Stiles wrapped one arm around her tiredly. 

“Yep.” Stiles mumbled. “Oh, okay, hey buddy.” Stiles said when Scott crawled in at the other side of him. “And, um, okay, hi.” He muttered when Isaac climbed in next to Scott, “Guys, there’s a massive bed across the hall if you want to sleep there.” 

“I want to sleep with you.” Erica whined.

“Doesn’t everyone?” Stiles mumbled sarcastically and Erica laughed brightly, snuggling closer to Stiles and pressing her nose to his neck. 

“You smell wrong, you’ve been gone too long.” She replied and Stiles shrugged in apology, the rest of the pack hovering by the bed until he sighed heavily and rolled out of the bed.

“Come on then.” He said, practically tripping over his own feet as he stumbled across the hallway and collapsed face first onto their bed. There was a moment’s hesitation until everyone piled in on top of Stiles, all of them doing their best to get as close to Stiles as possible, a few scuffles ensued as everyone mumbled, shifting around until they finally got comfortable, Stiles wasn’t aware of any of that though, mainly because he was already asleep again. 

Stiles woke up slowly, he was exhausted, he didn’t know how long it had been since he’d had a proper night’s sleep, probably since before he’d even left town, this whole assignment had been a nightmare from start to finish and even when he’d thought that the danger was over, that there had only been a few loose ends to wrap up, things had been a hell of a lot more complicated than he’d realised, thankfully he’d still been there when those loose ends had ended up being less loose than he’d initially thought. 

“You didn’t call.” Scott pouted even as Stiles blinked his eyes open, staring at the ceiling and trying to get his thoughts straight.

“My phone’s broken, or, well, more like crushed into dust.” Stiles said.

“What happened?” Malia asked. 

“Stupid ogre, I dropped it and he stomped on it, thought it was funny, really it’s just inconvenient, but, no big deal, the council are sending me a new one and a spare one to keep here, they should be here today.” Stiles replied, stretching slightly, groaning as his aching muscles protested. 

“Are you hurt?” Peter queried and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Nothing major, just some bruises.”

“Aren’t you going to give yourself a boost to heal quicker? And what’s this about an ogre? I thought you were supposed to be dealing with a caster who was using ritual killings to create a spell?” Erica quizzed, suddenly more awake.

“Okay, one, I’m not jerking off while you guys can all hear me so unless you all want to get out so I can do it, I’ll just deal with a few bruises and, two, it was a caster, but she was getting creatures to do her dirty work for her which is why the MO’s were all slightly different, but, she’s dead, the creatures are either dead or detained, and the spell didn’t get cast so no apocalypse this week.” Stiles replied. 

“Here.” Cora said, leaning over Isaac and kissing Stiles, Stiles pulled away in surprise and Cora rolled her eyes before leaning forwards again and pressing her lips to Stiles’ again. “Better?” She asked a moment later, reaching down to grab Stiles’ shirt and pulling it up, growling when she saw several dark black bruises that covered most of his side and chest. “That is not a minor injury Stiles! Take some more energy.” She said leaning back towards Stiles and sighing when he pulled away from her.

“As much as I’m grateful for the energy I really don’t want to take too much and…” Stiles began. 

“Yay! My turn!” Lydia grinned wickedly, practically straddling Stiles as she pulled him into a kiss before she let go off him, pulling up his t-shirt and watching as the bruises faded the slightest bit. “You need more.” She said, leaning back in.

“Woah! Woah, hang on a second here...” Stiles spluttered before Boyd’s lips were on his own. 

“You have no idea how hot I find it when you do that.” Erica grinned, pulling Boyd into a deep kiss, jumping on his lap and grinding against him while Stiles shook his head and looked the other way.

“I would say get a room, but, since I’m in your room, that feels a little rude.” Stiles muttered, letting out a squeak of surprise when Erica stopped kissing Boyd long enough to pull Stiles into a kiss while she was still sat on Boyd’s lap. Stiles pulled away a moment later, blushing slightly, “I have made it clear that I’m not interested in a threesome with you, right?” 

“I’ll talk you around eventually.” Erica grinned, “How are we looking?” She said, pulling his shirt up and seeing the bruises were now a deep purple with yellowing around the edges. “Nope, you still need more.” 

“Me next.” Peter smirked, putting a hand on the back of Stiles’ neck and pulling him into a deep kiss, Stiles thought they were all being overly dramatic, it was a few bruises, nothing that wouldn’t heal in a few days anyway, and yet, instead, he was being kissed by half the pack, it wasn’t like he wasn’t grateful for the energy, he was, but he felt a little awkward that they were all attempting to kiss him and he didn’t want it to turn into some competition again, which he could see happening easily, so he took a little bit more energy from Peter than he wanted to and a bit more from Isaac when he kissed him and then the bruises were practically gone. 

“Thanks guys. All better.” Stiles said, still feeling exhausted but at least he could move without the deep ache he’d felt for the past few days. 

“So you don’t need any more?” Allison asked sounding disappointed and Stiles shook his head.

“Nope, what I need now is a shower.” He said, getting to his feet and making his way to the bathroom, locking the door behind him and letting out a groan of pleasure when the hot water hit his freshly healed skin. 

“I’m making breakfast!” Erica called out from the kitchen when Stiles padded towards his bedroom. 

“Five minutes!” Stiles called back, going into his bedroom and pulling some clothes out of his rucksack, sniffing them and then throwing them into the washing basket, he looked around the room, he really needed to buy some new clothes, “Rica, have you got any of the clothes I sent back to you?” He called down, annoyed that he didn’t have any clothes, he could just use his magic to create new ones, or clean his old ones, but, he was still tired and lower on magic than he’d like to be, and it wouldn’t be an issue if Erica ever sent back any of the clothes he’d sent her over the years.

“You know, I have no idea what happened to them.” Erica shouted up to him, grinning at Derek who was blushing slightly, they all knew Stiles’ clothes were stashed in his room in a vain attempt to try and keep Stiles’ scent around a little longer. 

“Stupid werewolves.” Stiles grumbled under his breath, pulling out a pair of jeans that were covered in ogre goo and groaning, there was no way that was ever going to come out, “Nope, forget it,” He cursed, “Until you find my clothes I’m wandering around naked!” He shouted out, there was a crash from downstairs and he rolled his eyes, he didn’t even want to know what that was, he collapsed onto his bed face first, groaning in annoyance before he rolled over, waved his hand and the pile of clothes he’d thrown in the wash basket were clean and folded neatly on the side. He got dressed, cursing Erica under his breath, knowing he was going to have to get himself organised so that he at least had clothes to wear, he went to the wardrobe, waving his hand again and filling it with clothes, before he turned to the room, twisting his fingers until everything slid into its own place, then he went to the office and repeated the motion, getting the case files on the shelves in some semblance of order, along with a few of the more fascinating books he’d collected over the years that he was still working his way through. He nodded to himself in satisfaction, proud of a job well done before he headed downstairs, the scent of bacon calling to him. 

“You found clothes!” Peter said sounding almost disappointed. 

“Yeah, new rule, nobody touches my clothes, unless they’re on my body, or, no wait, that sounds wrong, nobody steals my clothes, I need clothes guys.” Stiles complained and looked at the pack who were all staring at their plates and resolutely refusing to look up at him. “I’m serious, clothes are kind of a thing that I need, so, no taking and hiding them just because they smell kind of like me, otherwise I’m going to start covering them in like itching powder or something, understood?” 

“Got it.” “Yeah.” “Yes.” “Okay.” “Sure.” The pack all mumbled in unison and Stiles nodded firmly. 

“Good, okay, give me food, I’m starving.” He said, grabbing several rashes of bacon and making himself a sandwich. 

The next few weeks were a little bit of a blur for Stiles, there was so much to get organised, he’d set up perimeter wards, he’d done it before so it shouldn’t have been an issue, but, previously he’d done it around the place he was staying, giving him a minute warning before anything attacked him, this time he was doing it around the whole town, it was a much larger and more complicated spell and it would end up using more magic than he’d had to use before, especially if he wanted the wards to be strong. 

He’d told Erica he needed some privacy, mainly because he needed to concentrate and having all the pack over pretty much continuously made it difficult to focus on the task at hand, instead his mind would wander to thoughts of the pack, how they spent all their down time at his cottage, that they were practically making it a second home, except, Stiles wasn’t pack and he couldn’t understand it. He wasn’t pack, he knew that, Derek had told him that specifically, so why did they treat him like he was? He wanted to believe that maybe now he was pack, now he’d proved himself, Derek was accepting him into the pack, but, every time he thought that, it felt like a spike had been driven into his chest, the thought that Derek would accept him now he was powerful, it made him think of that morning, when Derek told him he was a liability, that he wasn’t pack, that it was a mistake, and it made him want to crawl into a hole and never come out again.

Telling Erica he needed some privacy to cast the spell meant he had the cottage to himself for the first time since he’d actually moved in. He’d moved the furniture away from the centre of the living room, leaving himself a large circle clear in the middle of the room, he sat down, made himself comfortable and closed his eyes, he slipped into a state of meditation, his breathing evening out as he focused on the magic he wanted to use, the area he wanted to protect, the wards would be strong and powerful, they would alert him if any dangers entered Beacon Hills, they would protect his town and the people he cared about most. He called to his magic, pushed it to his fingertips so that he was holding a ball of bright white magic in his hands, pulsing in time with his heartbeat, waiting to be used. He concentrated on the belief that this would work, imagining in his mind the area he wanted to protect until the image was crystal clear, until he felt like he could reach out and touch it and then he released his magic. 

The pack were all gathered at the Hale house, including Noah and Melissa, it was obvious they were all a bit frustrated that Stiles wasn’t here, or, more, that they weren’t with Stiles. He’d told them that he was casting a spell, a protection spell, or, more like a warning, that if anything came to town he’d know about it, he’d also told them he needed peace and quiet to do it. Derek was pacing in agitation, he didn’t like being away from Stiles, he wanted to be there, he would have sat in silence if it meant that he was there, but Stiles had been insistent that he needed some time alone to cast the spell. 

The cottage was only about a ten-minute run through the preserve from the Hale house, it worked for all of them, they were never far from home if they needed something and Stiles felt like he was far enough away that he wasn’t encroaching on the pack den, even if Derek would have happily had him here. He’d tried speaking to Stiles several times but he’d never been able to get the words out, either because his words failed him, or Stiles’ phone rang or someone else turned up or Stiles got distracted by something else going on. He wanted to tell him the truth, no matter how much pain it was going to cause, but, he was already dreading the pain he knew the truth was going to cause, not just the pain that Stiles would probably cause him, but, the pain that Stiles would feel knowing that Derek hurt him on purpose. He didn’t want to hurt him. Not again. 

Derek was staring out of the kitchen window, the sun was starting to set and he wondered how big this spell was that Stiles had spent all day working on it, he was thinking that he could probably see the cottage if he knocked down several trees and really concentrated on enhancing his eyesight, which is why he saw a ball of something hovering in the sky about thirty meters above the top of the trees, it was bright white and shining so brightly that he could barely look at it. He stared at it in awe, the rest of the pack gathering behind him, their mouths hanging open in shock as the ball seemed to pulse slowly for a few minutes before it suddenly exploded, shooting through the sky in a thousand different directions and streaming towards the ground, forming something remotely dome shaped, Derek knew instantly that this was the spell Stiles had cast and he was amazed, staring at the sky in astonishment as the glow of the magic faded, but, if he allowed his vision to flicker red for a few moments, he could still see a faint shimmering in the air. 

“Wow.” Kira muttered in amazement and the others all nodded, already shoving their shoes on and heading towards the back door.

“Guys, he said he needed to be alone.” Derek said, trying to be reasonable. 

“To cast the spell, yeah, which he’s done, which means we can go see him now.” Erica replied already dashing out of the back door. Noah rolled his eyes fondly, snatching up his keys from the side and escorting Melissa, Kira, Allison and Lydia to the front door, telling Derek they’d meet the rest of them there. Derek took off after his pack, running as fast as he could to try and beat Erica there despite the fact she had a few minutes head start on him. 

Derek caught up with her a few hundred meters from the cottage and gave her a taunting grin when he put on another burst of speed and slammed into Stiles’ door a few seconds before her.

“Jesus Christ!” Stiles cursed in surprise when it sounded like someone had just run into his door, he took a step towards it, summoning a ball of magic into his hand, ready to blast anyone who came for him when the door opened and Derek fell onto the floor, Erica having just tackled him to the ground, the rest of the pack stumbling to a stop before they completely destroyed his living room. 

“You cheated!” Erica pouted. 

“Did not!” Derek replied, laughing as he pulled Erica up to her feet and Stiles stared at them all in astonishment. 

“You used Alpha power, that’s totally cheating!” Erica complained. 

“You had a head start!” Derek said teasingly. 

“Only by like three minutes!” She mumbled and Derek grinned. 

“You could have had four and I still would have beaten you.” He said. 

“Bullshit, alright let’s go again…” Erica started before Stiles cleared his throat from where he was stood in the middle of the living room and everyone turned to stare at him. 

“What are you guys doing here!?” He asked sounding annoyed, the ball of magic still held in his hand and Erica paled.

“Oh crap, were you not done with the spell!?” She quizzed and Stiles looked at her in confusion, “You said we couldn’t come over until you’d done the spell, you did the spell, we came over.” She explained. 

“How did you know I’d finished it?” Stiles said in puzzlement. 

“Um, giant ball of glowing white magic exploding in the sky kind of gave it away.” Isaac said and Stiles stared at him in astonishment. 

“What?” He asked, striding forward towards the door, waving slightly when he saw his dad’s car pulling up and looking skyward. 

“It’s gone now.” Erica said, “It exploded in like a million different directions, it looked like a net was coming down over the town, I thought it was supposed to do that?” 

“Hang on, just, give me a minute.” Stiles said, closing his eyes and concentrating on the wards he could feel surrounding the town, they felt like they were working, but, what they described, that wasn’t supposed to happen, it was supposed to be discrete and that sounded anything but. He let his magic wander, testing the wards at different points, finding them strong and stable no matter where he prodded at them, the spell had worked, which was what he wanted, but, god, he could have exposed magic to the whole town, that would have definitely messed up his job of keeping the supernatural secret from the majority of humanity. Stiles wasn’t sure how long he had been stood there before he felt his magic protest at how much he was using it and his legs shook slightly, he opened his eyes and stumbled, glad when someone caught him before he hit the floor. 

“Are you okay?” Derek asked and Stiles blinked a few times, Derek’s concerned face swimming in front of his face for a few seconds before it came into focus. 

“Sorry, head rush.” He muttered, taking a step away from Derek and doing his best to calm his racing heart, he’d spent the past three years doing everything he could to get over Derek Hale, he was not going to undo all that hard work by letting his heart run away with him. Derek didn’t want him, Derek thought he was a liability, Derek thought it wasn’t anything special, Derek told him he wasn’t pack. He ran through those facts in his mind like some kind of chant, until his heart calmed, until the butterflies in his stomach vanished and instead a brick sat there, heavy and solid and making Stiles feel sick with its presence. 

“Is everything okay with the wards?” Derek asked sounding pained when Stiles moved away from him, Stiles nodded, looking a little pale and leaning against Scott who was hovering behind him, Derek tried not to feel as if he was in physical pain at the fact that Stiles wouldn’t take any comfort from him. He opened his mouth to speak, not sure what he was going to say, wanted to tell Stiles he was sorry, wanting to do something to make this right when Noah’s phone started ringing and Derek turned to look at him. 

Any good humour the pack had had was long gone, Noah and Derek had both left to look at the body that had been found near one of the lakes in the preserve, they didn’t have all the details yet but it was obvious that it was at least suspicious, Stiles had offered his assistance but Noah had said no, he was waiting until they knew more before involving anybody not in the sheriff’s department, there was always the chance it wasn’t even related to the supernatural. 

The next few days were a flurry of activity, Derek and Noah were busy with their new case, Stiles was practically cooped up in his office, solving as many of the council’s cases as he could without leaving town, the pack were splitting their time between the cottage and the Hale house, occasionally dragging Stiles out of his office and to their house in order to make sure he was at least eating a decent meal once in a while. 

Erica had gone out for a run without any of the pack, just needing to burn off some excess energy, she’d planned on running by Stiles’ cottage and getting him to come to the pack house for some dinner, they’d all missed him the past few days and it was like he was distancing himself from them but Erica didn’t know why and she hated it. She never got to the cottage. 

Stiles snatched up his ringing phone, he’d only just got out of the shower, taking ten minutes to attempt to clear his head, and boost his energy levels, before he got back to work, he wasn’t expecting any calls and he was surprised to see Boyd’s name flashing up on his screen. 

“Hello?” He asked, fastening up his jeans and looking for a clean t-shirt. 

“Hey, are you guys on your way here yet? Erica’s ignoring me.” Boyd muttered and Stiles froze.

“Erica’s not here.” He said, feeling panic began to form in his chest. 

“What? No, she left hours ago, told me she was going to spend the afternoon annoying you.” Boyd said, Stiles pulled the t-shirt over his head, vanishing on the spot and reappearing in the kitchen of the Hale house, all of them looking at him in surprise for a moment before getting to their feet. 

“We should split up, try and track her scent.” Scott suggested. 

“What time did she leave?” Stiles asked. 

“About one? She said she was going to go for a run and then meet you and invite you over for dinner.” 

“Are dad and Derek still on shift?” Stiles queried. 

“Yeah, they should be finishing soon though.” Isaac replied. 

“Okay, call them, tell them Erica is missing, get Derek to see if he can track her scent through town at all,” He ordered and Allison pulled out her phone, “Boyd, take Isaac, Kira and Lydia, check out her usual hideouts, make sure she hasn’t gone to check on her parents or something stupid…”

“She hasn’t spoken to her parents in years…” Boyd began.

“I know, but, we need to rule out that possibility. Peter, you, Scott, Cora and Malia check the usual running trails, make sure she hasn’t just decided to go for a sleep or something stupid. Allison, Melissa, can you guys stay here? Call us if she comes home?” Everyone nodded in agreement. 

“What are you going to do?” Malia asked. 

“Lots of magic.” Stiles answered, storming out of the house and into the preserve, he didn’t want to overreact, he wanted to believe that Erica was perfectly fine, that she’d just gone out for a run and lost track of time, but, he also knew Erica and that just wasn’t like her. He stood in the middle of the garden, concentrated on Erica, on everything he knew about her, on her smile, her laugh, the mischievous sparkle in her eyes, her growling when she got overprotective, the way her eyes flashed golden sometimes at the strangest moments, until he could visualise her standing right in front of him. “Alright then Catwoman, show me where you are.” He said, reaching out and touching the image in front of him, he knew he probably looked insane to anybody watching but he didn’t care, Erica could be in trouble. 

He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes again and concentrating, he summoned every ounce of magic he had, scrunched his eyes in concentration and vanished from the garden. He’d only done this once before and he’d spent two days recovering as the person he had been trying to find had been a lot further away than he’d planned and it had nearly drained his magic completely. It involved making a connection with their thoughts and following the path to them through teleportation, it was dangerous and could possibly result in Stiles getting lost, not knowing where he would come out, or, worse, Erica could be too far away physically and he could travel too far, causing his magic to drain energy from him until he passed out or died, none of them were good options but he just didn’t think Erica would go missing by herself. 

He staggered slightly as he reappeared in the preserve somewhere, it was darker here, the trees thicker, it couldn’t have been too far away, he was still standing, but it was further than he would have liked, his head was spinning slightly, a sure sign that he’d used too much magic in finding her, Erica was tied to a tree in front of him, she was unconscious and there was a gag in her mouth, he moved forwards cautiously, looking for the threat that had attacked Erica, he enhanced his senses, his eyes glowing bright gold as he checked the area, Erica’s heartbeat was loud in his ears and he could at least relax with that, Erica was alive. 

He heard another heartbeat, just out of sight, behind one of the many trees to his right, he turned slowly, putting Erica behind him, making sure she was protected, before he used his magic and summoned a ball of magic to his hand, ready to blast anyone who came after her. 

“You might as well come out, I know you’re there.” He called loudly, preparing himself for a fight, instead the mystery person let out a chuckle and moved silently to the next tree, Stiles catching no more than a glimpse of some kind of cloak that covered the attacker. 

“And I know you.” The person replied, it was definitely masculine but it didn’t sound familiar in the slightest, “Well, of you. The nogitsune survivor. The child prodigy. The council sending you out into the world within eighteen months of you first joining them. Spending the next eighteen months travelling the world, helping them solve their cases, until you finally decide to settle back in Beacon Hills. Did I miss anything?” 

“You missed out the fact I could kill you without batting an eyelid.” Stiles retorted, “Why don’t you come out here and we can talk properly?” 

“I’m not really in the mood to talk. I’m more of an action kind of man.” 

“Well I’m in agreement with you there.” Stiles said, barely dodging out of the way when a fireball flew straight at him from in between the trees, he threw his own right back, rolling sideways to avoid a second one. “So, you’re a caster then?” He called, panting slightly as he ducked the next ball of magic fired at him. 

“Most definitely and I’m more than capable of taking out a jumped up little child like you.” He retorted, Stiles dropped to his knees, placing his hands on the floor and causing the earth to roll outwards, putting up a ten-foot wall between the caster and Erica and him, he turned to her, twisting his fingers and the rope vanished from around her and she sunk a little lower to the floor. A fireball hit the trunk just above her head and Stiles knew his priority had to be getting her out of here, protect her, then he could deal with this caster properly. 

“Big talk, you got the skills to back it up?” Stiles called, hoping to distract him when he used his magic to cause the clouds above them to thicken and darken and heavy rain to drop to the ground, thunder rumbling ominously above them. He placed his hands on Erica’s cheeks, willing her to wake up and, when that didn’t work, he cursed internally, teleporting her out of danger was going to be a big task, it might leave him too weak to defend himself, but teleporting both of them would kill him, no doubt about it. He screwed up his eyes, laid his hands on her shoulders and forced his magic through her body, “Be safe Catwoman.” He whispered, almost collapsing in relief and exhaustion when she vanished from sight, now he could concentrate on the enemy behind him.

“I knew you’d want to keep her safe, your little dog, it’s why I took her. I wonder how much weaker you are now you’ve got her somewhere safe?” The voice smirked and Stiles growled dangerously, he was weaker than he’d like to be but he was nowhere near ready to lie down and die just yet. 

Allison and Melissa were waiting at the Hale house, both pacing restlessly, Derek and Noah had arrived a moment ago, Derek had driven out of town, the window down as he tried to catch any hint of Erica’s scent, they’d pulled up at the house, Derek practically ripping the door from its hinges as he raced into the house and caught sight of Allison and Melissa. 

“What’s happening? Where is everyone?” He asked, Melissa opened her mouth, about to explain what was going on when there was a loud pop and Erica appeared unconscious in the middle of the garden, Derek raced outside, rushing to her and checking her over for injuries, she seemed to be unhurt, other than the fact she was unconscious. “Erica!? Erica, can you hear me?” He asked, shaking her slightly and relaxing when she let out a small groan, blinking slowly as she returned to consciousness.

“Stiles did this. He’s the only one that could have sent her back like that, and, this is where he vanished from about ten minutes ago.” Allison informed Derek, Derek had already figured out Stiles was the one responsible for Erica being home, what he was worried about was the fact that Stiles wasn’t. 

“Erica? Come on, wake up for me sweetie.” Noah said encouragingly just as the others burst back through the trees, looking surprised for a moment before they all rushed forwards, checking Erica over for themselves, Boyd clutching her tightly. “Erica, what happened? Where’s Mica?” Erica blinked a few more times before she finally seemed to register where she was and what had happened, she sat upright, looking around in panic for Stiles. 

“He’s after Stiles, he wants Stiles.” 

“Who? Where is he?” Derek said feeling more terrified by the second. 

“I don’t know who he was, he attacked me when I was out on my run, he has magic though, he wanted me because he knew Stiles would come for me and that he’d use his magic to get me out of danger, weakening him.” Erica explained, wincing slightly as she tried to get to her feet. 

“Where is he? Do you know where he was holding you?” Derek asked, his heart racing out of control, Erica looked around, spinning on the spot until she pointed to a cluster of clouds easily ten miles away.

“There! That’s Stiles’ magic, they’re there!” She said, already trying to move in that direction despite the fact she was a little unsteady on her feet.

“Look after her.” He said to Noah before dashing off into the preserve towards the cloud formation, ten miles away, if he pushed himself he could be there in about fifteen maybe twenty minutes, but, god that was too long, anything could be happening to Stiles, he’d weakened himself to protect Erica, if anything happened to him, god, it didn’t bear thinking about, he put on a burst of speed, forcing himself to go as fast as he could, to get to Stiles as quickly as he could.

Stiles grinned ferally at the caster that had challenged him, his ears were ringing from where he’d narrowly avoided an explosion, he knew they were bleeding slightly but he didn’t care, there was mud streaked across his hands and face from where he’d landed on the ground and there was more blood trickling into his eye which made him think he’d cut his head. The clearing was practically destroyed, there was a large smoking crater in the middle of it, the trees that had been there had been blasted outwards and smashed into other trees, thunder still rumbled dangerously above them and the rain had turned the ground to mud under their feet, thick streams of it running into the crater. Stiles couldn’t help but grin though, because as crap as he felt, as hurt and weak as he felt, the other caster was much worse off. 

He was on his knees on the other side of the crater, his cloak still covering his face but not able to hide the blood that was staining his clothes, he was hurt, badly and Stiles smiled victoriously. He went to move closer, going to use the last of his magic to trap the caster so he couldn’t escape when he heard someone shouting his name and they were getting closer, he turned slightly, seeing the pack come bursting through the trees and stumbling to a stop when they saw the sight of the clearing in front of them, Stiles turned back to the caster, knowing he had no need to worry about being attacked from behind and then cursed when the other caster was gone. 

“Fuck.” He growled in annoyance, swiping at the blood running into his eye and moving towards where the caster had been to see if there was anything left that might be able to lead Stiles to him.

“Stiles, are you alright?” Scott called out, surveying the damage around them with wide eyes. 

“Fine.” Stiles shouted back, perhaps a little too loudly, his ears were still ringing. 

“Where’d he go?” Isaac asked and Stiles shrugged, there was nothing here, no clue as to who it had been that had attacked Erica, that could have killed her, god, he was so pissed off, all that remained was a bit of his blood, Stiles created a vial and scooped it into it, he might be able to track the caster using his blood, it was a long shot, but, Stiles was all about trying new things. 

“I had him! Jesus Christ I fucking had him!” He said, feeling the strong urge to punch something but knowing he couldn’t. “Why are you guys even here?” He asked in annoyance. 

“We came to help, Erica said the caster was after you. That he’d weakened you.” Peter explained. 

“I had him.” Stiles repeated, he’d been so close, he could have taken him and now Erica was still in danger, hell, they all were, “God dammit!” He cursed and the thunder cracked above him, he was exhausted and he was hurt and he wanted nothing more than to be able to believe that he could go home and sleep and know everybody was safe, but, they weren’t, they weren’t safe and it was Stiles’ fault, he should have killed him the second he had the chance. 

“Stiles, maybe you should, um, calm down a little?” Malia said, wincing slightly as the sky rumbled and groaned above them, the trees that were left standing swaying ominously in the wind that was swirling through the clearing. Stiles shrugged his shoulders as if to remove a great weight and Derek stared in awe as the air around him crackled with electricity, Stiles looked to be on the verge of losing it, he knew he should be scared, but, he wasn’t, he knew Stiles would never hurt them. 

“Stiles, take a breath.” Derek said, taking a step towards Stiles who turned to glare at him, his eyes flashing gold dangerously and Derek stilled in his tracks, “Stiles, you have more control than this, you can control this, so, control it.” He said and Stiles stared at him for a few moments before his eyes faded back to their normal amber, the wind ceased and the thunder stopped rumbling above them, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. 

“We should get back to the house.” Stiles said, “I’m not sure if he’ll go after Erica again or if he’ll target someone else.” Derek rolled his eyes, moving forward, ripping the sleeve of his t-shirt and pressing it against Stiles’ head, he didn’t care about anyone else, he cared about Stiles bleeding. “What are you doing?” Stiles said, going to lean away from Derek and stilling when Derek wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and applied pressure to the wound. 

“You’re bleeding.” 

“So? The others could be in danger.” Stiles said, pushing him away slightly and moving back in the direction of the house. 

“Which you can’t help them with if you bleed out.” Derek snapped, moving behind Stiles and applying pressure to the wound for a second. 

“I’m not going to fucking bleed out, it’s a scratch, stop fussing.” Stiles argued, growling at Derek as he pushed the clothing away from him. Derek grumbled unhappily, the rest of the pack looking at him in amusement as they hurried back towards the house. Stiles waved the rest of them on, telling them they could get there much faster than him and since they’d left all the non-super speed people at the house it was important to protect them. Derek, Cora and Isaac insisted that they’d stay with Stiles, just in case the caster decided to attack them on the way back, Stiles hated that he felt too wiped out to just teleport back to the house, he hated travelling at normal human speed, especially when the others could be in danger but he just didn’t have the energy to get himself back there any quicker, he stilled in his tracks before the others were even out of sight. “You guys go with them, I’ll meet you back at the house.”

“How? You can’t teleport. You look ready to fall over as it is.” Cora said, “Do you want to borrow some energy?” 

“No, no I’m just going to, um, give myself a boost. I’ll meet you guys back there, if you go now you might even beat me back.” He said, waving them onwards. 

“You could just borrow some of my energy and then you could teleport back anyway?” Isaac suggested and Stiles chuckled. 

“Seriously, you guys have to stop offering to kiss me, I’m going to start thinking you just enjoy doing it.” He laughed and Isaac and Cora both glanced at each other before smirking at Stiles in unison. 

“Yeah, well, we do, you’re a very good kisser.” Cora shrugged, Stiles blushed brightly and Derek fought the urge to growl at his sister.

“Okay, well, same rules apply, I’m not having a threesome with you guys either, now, can you just leave me alone so I can sort myself out please?” He said desperately, the embarrassment he felt obvious for all of them to smell, Derek grabbed Cora’s elbow and started leading her and Isaac away to catch up with the others, despite the fact that every part of him told him he shouldn’t be leaving Stiles, he knew Stiles wanted some privacy.

Stiles sighed heavily, waiting until they were all out of eyesight before he moved to the nearest tree and reached down to undo his trousers, it wasn’t the most elegant solution, but, he’d done it before in a lot worse situations, and, really, he was so tired he was barely staying upright, running wasn’t an option meaning it would be the better part of two hours before he got back to the house and that was just too long. He closed his eyes, imagined lips pressed against his own, warm hands running over his body, reaching down and wrapping around his hard cock, it didn’t take him that long to bring himself to his climax, he’d done it often enough that he just had to close his eyes and think about a few particular things and he’d be ready to go. He let out a gasp of pleasure as he came and as the energy rushed through his body, his head clearing instantly, the ringing in his ears stopping abruptly and the cut on his head beginning to heal. He gave himself a few minutes to settle slightly, to fasten his jeans, allow his breathing to even out, the faint flush on his cheeks to recede, before he concentrated on the Hale house and teleported back there. 

He appeared in the back garden, the majority of the pack hadn’t arrived yet and Stiles rolled his eyes, if they weren’t here yet then he wasn’t waiting on them, Erica pulled him into a tight hug, her relief evident in the way she clung to him. 

“Thank god, I thought he was going to kill you.” She said, pulling away to survey Stiles for injuries and then deciding that he was okay and pulling him into another hug. 

“Did you get a good look at him?” Stiles asked and Erica shook her head apologetically. 

“I’m sorry, he came out of nowhere, his cloak was covering his face, I’d probably recognise his scent again though if I smelled it.” She said and Stiles nodded.

“Good, that’s good, until then I need you to stay with the pack, they’ll be back in a few minutes, don’t go running off alone, and dad, I need you and Melissa to stay here at the house, don’t go back to yours, not until I get back, okay?” 

“Okay, sure, but what about you? What are you going to do?” Noah asked, staring in amazement as Stiles’ magic created his usual armour, a chest plate and arm guards, a heavy sword at his side and several knives and guns strapped to his thighs and calves. 

“I’m going hunting.” Stiles snarled angrily, he pulled the caster’s blood from his pocket and tipped it out, it hovered in mid-air and they all stared at it in amazement, the rest of the pack just beginning to appear through the trees, Stiles conjured a portal, concentrating on the fact he wanted to trace the caster, eliminate the threat to his family, “Stay safe.” He said before stepping through, ignoring the shouts of the rest of the pack behind him as they ran forward to try and stop him. 

Derek cried out in denial when he saw Stiles stepping towards the portal, he wasn’t going to reach him in time, he was going to be too late, he surged forwards with everything he had, grabbing the back of Stiles’ collar, except instead of pulling Stiles backwards, he stumbled forwards and both of them vanished through the portal before it closed behind them. 

“Stiles is going to be pissed.” Melissa muttered while Noah and Erica looked horror-struck. 

“What? What is it?” Scott asked, knowing they wouldn’t look like that if there wasn’t a serious reason behind it. 

“We don’t know where the portal went to, just that Stiles was going after the caster. Hopefully he’s still in town, but, if he’s not, then, Stiles just transported both of them a long distance.” 

“So? He teleported to find you and he was fine?” Isaac queried. 

“It’s different. He could teleport to me because he knows me. He used what he knew about me to track me, it didn’t require much more magic than usual. He doesn’t know anything about this caster, he used his blood to track him, he opened a portal to track him. Portals use more magic straight away, and, going through them isn’t advised unless you know exactly where you’re going, otherwise you could use too much magic and kill yourself.” Erica explained. 

“That’s not the worst of it, the portal could be close and Stiles could have survived, but, the more people that use the portal, the more magic it drains from him, Derek went through meaning it will have instantly pulled double the amount of magic from him than if he’d gone through by himself.” Noah said sounding pained, “Derek going through could kill him, and, if it does, Derek will be left alone with the caster who will definitely kill him.” The pack all stared at Noah as if he’d grown a second head, they were all terrified, there was nothing they could do now, they just had to wait.

Stiles and Derek fell through the portal and hit the ground hard on the other side, both coughing and spluttering, spitting soil from their mouths, Derek pushed himself up slowly, looking around and realising he was still in the preserve, barely more than a mile from the house, Stiles was groaning on the ground next to him as if he was in pain and Derek moved to him, resting a hand on his shoulder and rolling Stiles onto his back. 

“Stiles? Stiles, you okay?” He asked. 

“Idiot.” Stiles coughed out, groaning as he sat up, looking around blearily. “Where are we?” 

“About a mile, maybe two, from the house, we passed by this way on the way back earlier, our scents are still fresh.” Derek informed him. 

“Great.” Stiles mumbled, actually accepting Derek’s hand to get to his feet and even then he looked like he was ready to fall over, Derek kept a hand on his arm to steady him as Stiles looked around the trees. “Might as well as come out dude. I know you’re here.” Stiles called and Derek looked around in surprise, he’d been so caught up in checking Stiles was okay that he hadn’t even registered the heartbeat that was beating steadily from nearby. “I’ve still got your blood, wherever you run to, I’ll track you. You might as well face me like a man, unless you’re that much of a coward?” Stiles taunted, it might have sounded a bit more effective if his voice didn’t crack with pain as he swayed unsteadily on the spot. 

“It doesn’t seem like I have much to be afraid of, do I?” The caster said, stepping out from behind the trees and smirking at Stiles and Derek. Derek growled, taking a step towards the caster and yelping in surprise when he was flung backwards into the nearest tree, “Did that hurt little puppy!?” The caster taunted and Derek snarled, shifting into his wolf, hackles raised and growling at the caster, "I see you’ve taught this one that trick too. You know you need to stop teaching them how to get stronger, you’re only putting the rest of us in more danger.” 

“I didn’t teach him anything, he could do that without my help! And even if I did, there’s nothing wrong with teaching them anything and everything I can, they teach me too, sharing information, sharing knowledge is a good thing, only idiots would think otherwise.” Stiles retorted. 

“You’re wrong.” The man replied, waving his hand again, the cloak shifting slightly to display a burned arm, and knocking Derek backwards when he tried to stand, Derek smacked his head hard and his vision swam dangerously, shifting back to human form and shaking off the injury as best he could, Stiles threw a ball of fire at the caster who narrowly avoided it, before launching his own and throwing it at Stiles who only just dodged out of the way in time. “We shouldn’t be teaching them anything! They’re monsters! We should be protecting ourselves from them! Destroying them!” 

“You’re insane!” Derek shouted, hoping to distract the man, cursing when he was thrown into another tree and Stiles launched another fire ball in the caster’s direction. 

“And you’re weak! Tell me, nogitsune survivor, how much did it weaken you bringing two of you through a portal? Even a couple of miles has nearly finished you off! And here I was believing that you were supposed to be as powerful as a god, you can barely keep yourself upright. Pathetic! I’m surprised they even let you come out in the real world! You should never have even been accepted into the council, you’re a disgrace! You’re weak! You’re a traitor to the cause! They don’t even realise what a liability you are!” The caster ranted and Derek could see the flash of hurt flicker across Stiles’ face at that word, before he grinned manically, several fireballs appearing and hovering over the palm of his outstretched arm, launching at the caster in rapid fire. 

“I know who you are now.” Stiles said victoriously. “It took me a while I’ll admit, but, that tattoo on your arm, the one that’s damaged by your burn, I know exactly who you are, you call me a traitor, but you, you are the reason the council was nearly destroyed in the first place!”

“And if the creatures I’d hired did their jobs properly, it would have been completely destroyed! I could have started afresh, training casters correctly, you could have been a real asset to us, I could have shown you and all the others the truth, that these monsters don’t deserve our help or our protection, just the swift mercy of death.” 

“Derek’s right. You’re insane.” Stiles said. 

“And you’re still weak, child prodigy.” 

“Still strong enough to beat you.” Stiles said, wincing in pain and teleporting from where he was stood and reappearing behind the caster, pressing a knife tight to his throat, “Now, if you want to live, I’d really suggest staying very, very still, because the slightest twitch of your hand and I’ll slit your throat.” Stiles growled menacingly. 

The caster tensed but didn’t move and Derek stared awestruck, Stiles was amazing, he had no idea how Stiles had found the magic to be able to beat the caster despite the fact that he’d been severely weakened by earlier events. 

“Derek, come here.” Stiles ordered and Derek complied, not sure what Stiles wanted but knowing he’d help however he could, “In my back pocket, there’s a pair of cuffs, grab them for me.” He said and Derek moved behind Stiles, reaching down to his ass, hesitating for the briefest moment before he reached into his pocket gingerly and grabbed the handcuffs, holding them up proudly, staring at the intricate markings around the edge in fascination, “Great, cuff him.” Stiles grumbled, still not moving the knife from the casters neck.

“You might as well kill me now. The instant the council get hold of me, they’ll kill me. You hand them over to me and I’m dead.” The caster said desperately and Stiles ginned. 

“Don’t be stupid, they won’t kill you the instant they get hold of you, they’ll probably torture you for a good few weeks first.” Stiles replied and the caster growled, shifting slightly until the knife dug deeper into his skin, “Don’t make me kill you, Derek, cuffs.” 

“No, I won’t let you hand me over to them.” The caster argued. 

“You don’t really have a choice.” Stiles growled, shifting his stance slightly when the caster shook his head and the knife sliced into his skin, not enough to kill him, but, still, deep enough. “Stop fighting me or I will kill you, Derek, put the fucking cuffs on.” Stiles said, feeling like he was beginning to lose control of the situation, Derek tried to move towards the caster, but as he got closer flickers of magic came from the end of his fingers and Derek wasn’t sure how dangerous they were. “Stop it!” Stiles warned threateningly.

“No, you’ll have to kill me before I let you take me to them.” The caster shouted, rearing backwards, kicking Derek in the stomach and knocking both Stiles and himself to the ground, Derek scrambled back to his feet, pulling the caster off Stiles and throwing him into the nearest tree. 

“Stiles, you okay?” Derek asked, looking at Stiles who was grimacing in pain but was already getting to his feet, the knife dropped on the ground between them. The caster went to wave his hand and stared in astonishment at the handcuff on one of his wrists, Stiles just grinned victoriously. 

“How…what did you do? Magic shouldn’t be able to be stopped by something as pathetic as this weak metal!? What have you done?!” The caster screamed, snatching up the knife from the floor and launching himself forward straight for Stiles. 

Stiles spun out of the way just in time and Derek stepped forward, ripping his claws through the casters throat, and watching as he dropped to the ground, his eyes unseeing and a look of disbelief frozen forever on his features. 

“Thanks.” Stiles mumbled, sinking to the ground slowly and resting his head on his knees. 

“You okay?” Derek asked, moving closer to Stiles but not sure if he should touch him or not, Stiles looked exhausted, Derek wanted to offer him some energy but he wasn’t sure how Stiles would react to that. 

“Yeah dude, I’m fine, just it’s been a long day.” Stiles said, staring at the other caster for a few moments before he pulled out his phone, “You should go back to the pack, I’m going to have to wait here for the council to collect the body.” Derek hesitated for a moment, letting Stiles call the council and explain what had happened, listening to the fact that they would have a portal ready within the next two hours before he called Noah, explaining where they were, that Stiles was fine, just tired, and that they’d both wait here until the body was dealt with. 

Stiles was sitting on the floor of the preserve, his back against a tree, he was fighting to keep his eyes open, he was tired, he just wanted to sleep for a month, he couldn’t believe Derek had come through the portal with him, they were lucky that the caster, Don, his name was Don, Steve had told him on the phone, Stiles committed it to memory, he’d killed another council member, okay, Don hadn’t been a council member since he’d tried to wipe the whole council out, but, still, he’d been a member of the council at one point and Stiles had killed him. Stiles was lucky Don hadn’t been any further afield, otherwise the trip through the portal would have killed him and Derek would have been left alone with him. Stiles tried not to think about the fact he’d only managed as much magic as he had because of the knowledge that if he died, Derek would have been left defenceless against a caster and would have been killed, and no matter what had happened between them, he wasn’t allowing Derek to die, no matter what, the pack needed him alive. He’d used too much magic staying alive long enough to make sure Derek survived, and, combined with how much magic he’d used coming through the portal, and the amount he’d already used earlier in the day, he was exhausted, worse than that, it was a bone deep weariness, like, if he closed his eyes, he’d never open them again. 

“…iles?” Derek’s voice drifted towards him and Stiles blinked up at him blearily, what he really needed was an energy boost, but, there was no way in hell he was up to jerking himself off right now and he knew Derek wouldn’t want to offer him any energy, not if it meant kissing Stiles, which, he understood, it just meant that right now he wanted to sleep and there was no way of making it any easier. “Stiles? You look like you’re about to pass out? Do you want to borrow some of my energy?” Derek asked awkwardly from where he was crouched next to Stiles. 

“Nah, I’m fine.” Stiles sighed, pushing himself up to his feet, using the tree next to him in order to keep himself steady and ignoring the way the world was spinning around him. 

“Are you sure? I don’t mind?” Derek offered and Stiles shook his head, about to refuse the offer again when suddenly what seemed like the rest of the pack burst into the clearing, looking at Don’s body before checking Derek and Stiles for injuries. 

“For God’s sake!” Lydia snapped, moving forwards instantly and pulling Stiles into a kiss, Stiles sighed gratefully and drew energy from her easily, he was getting used to the feeling of other people’s energy, of how much he could draw without causing them any damage, he knew what he’d be able to take from Lydia without weakening her and he was so fucking grateful for it right now. “Why the hell didn’t you offer to let him take some of yours!?” She snapped at Derek as soon as the kiss broke and Stiles thanked her, leaning back against the tree and closing his eyes to try and deal with the head rush he was experiencing. 

“I offered.” Derek replied uncomfortably, “He said he was fine.” 

“Does he look fine?” Erica grumbled, pointing at Stiles who was still leaning against the tree.

“I am fine.” Stiles mumbled, sounding exhausted. 

“No, you’re not. Boyd? Could you?” She asked and Boyd smiled at her, giving her a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder before he moved over and kissed Stiles. “You don’t fucking listen to him when he says he’s fine, you give him the energy anyway.” She chastised Derek. 

“Hey, don’t blame him, I said I was fine.” Stiles said, looking like he had a little more colour in his cheeks even if he was still incredibly pale and looked like he was about to fall over. 

“He should know better Mica.” Erica argued, “He’s known you long enough to know that you don’t admit to feeling like crap easily, and he’s also known you long enough to know when you look like crap.”

“It’s fine Catwoman, I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” Stiles insisted while Erica and Lydia both glared at Derek who was staring at the ground in self-hatred, he hadn’t realised Stiles was that bad, he knew he was weakened, knew he was tired, but, Stiles had said he was fine and he’d taken him at his word, he hadn’t wanted to force anything on Stiles, hadn’t wanted to kiss him when Stiles didn’t need the energy in case he got annoyed at Derek, and, now, instead, he got yelled at by Erica and Lydia while he had to watch the majority of his pack kiss his mate, he was an idiot and Stiles deserved better than him anyway. 

“You’re looking better.” Peter said a few moments later as he broke their kiss, there was definitely more of a sparkle in his eye than there had been. 

“I told you I was fine.” Stiles replied, glaring at Scott when he moved towards him as if to kiss him too, “I’m fine Scott, seriously, I don’t need any more energy. I just need to sleep for a while.” Scott actually looked disappointed and Stiles rolled his eyes, he was not going to give in to Scott’s puppy dog eyes.

“Okay, well, you can rest when we get back to the house, how long until the council can come collect the body?” Noah asked and Stiles looked at his phone. 

“It shouldn’t be long now, another twenty minutes or so.” He said, moving forwards and undoing the cuff that was still fastened around Don’s wrist. 

“What’s that?” Malia said. 

“It stopped his magic.” Derek informed them and then looked to Stiles, “How did it stop his magic? I mean, um, Theo, he had to handcuff you and practically duct tape your hands so you couldn’t move your fingers at all?” 

“It’s just something I was playing around with.” Stiles shrugged. 

“A way to stop magic using just handcuffs?” Erica whispered quietly in shock and Derek couldn’t understand why Stiles would ever want to have something like that in his possession. 

“Yeah, I figured it would make things easier with assignments involving other casters, you know, the one the other week would have been a hell of a lot easier if I could have just cuffed her and stopped her magic.” Stiles said casually, “I mean, I only figured out they definitely worked this afternoon, the inscriptions took quite a bit of work, I had to keep making adjustments but, yeah, I got them to work and I was going to tell the council about them but then Erica got kidnapped and they were still in my pocket.” Stiles explained. 

“Do I want to ask how you knew for definite that they worked?” Noah sighed with exasperation. 

“Probably not.” Stiles said sheepishly and Erica rolled her eyes.

“So you tried them out on yourself?” Erica said amused and Derek fought back a growl.   
“Do not tell me you did something so stupid? Imagine if something had decided to attack you when you had the cuffs on? You couldn’t have used magic! You could have gotten hurt! You could have been kidnapped or killed! Why would you try something so stupid!?” Lydia remarked heatedly and Stiles shrugged. 

“It wasn’t like there was anyone else around with magic that I could try it on and those with magic aren’t usually willing to let me try out my ideas on them, so, you know, I tried it out on the only guinea pig available, it’s not a big deal…” Stiles started, trailing off when his phone began to ring, “Agent Stilinski speaking.” 

“Stiles, the portal will be opening shortly, is the body ready?” 

“Yes sir. All clear.” Stiles replied, they watched with fascination as the ground near Don’s body turned into a swirling green portal and Don’s body vanished through it. “He’s gone.” 

“We’ve got him.” The voice replied, “You did a good job Stiles.” Stiles nodded tightly.

“I’ll write the debrief for you as soon as I get home.” Stiles replied. 

“Good, oh, before I forget, your father is the sheriff there, isn’t he?” 

“As if you don’t know that already, why?” Stiles replied, glancing at Noah in concern. 

“Well, it seems like he’s had a murder in town, he recovered some samples on the body, sent it off to the labs to get checked and it’s shown up on our system.” 

“Really? He’s not even sure if it’s supernatural yet?” Stiles asked in confusion and Noah scrunched his nose up in bewilderment, “What is it?” 

“Mermaid.” 

“This far from the ocean?” Stiles said. 

“Apparently so.”

“I’ll look into it.” Stiles replied seriously before he ended the call. 

“So my case is supernatural?” Noah asked and Stiles nodded, “What a surprise.” Noah said sarcastically. “So, what is it?” 

“A mermaid apparently, I’ll need to check out the body, is it still at the morgue? We can swing by your office and grab the case file and then I can check out the body?” Stiles said, already moving through the trees. 

“Woah, hang on a second, you nearly collapsed earlier Stiles, you should take some time to rest, besides, it can wait until the morning, can’t it? We’ve all had a stressful few hours.” Noah said reasonably. 

“I should really go check it out…” Stiles began. 

“Don’t be an idiot, it can wait until tomorrow, let’s go back to the house, we can sleep and I need a cuddle, I nearly died today and then I could have lost you, I want a cuddle with you, please?” Erica pleaded innocently and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Fine.” He relented, “We’ll have a cuddle, but that’s it, nobody else sticking their tongue down my throat, okay?” 

“But you still look tired.” Allison pouted and Stiles sighed.

“I always look tired, that’s just me. I don’t need energy so no kissing me, got it?” Stiles said and everyone nodded, Derek tried valiantly to hide his jealously, he knew he’d failed when every wolf in the vicinity rolled their eyes but nobody mentioned anything which he was grateful for. 

Stiles was exhausted by the time they got to the pack house, he wanted to make it back to his own cottage, not wanting to intrude on the pack’s den, but, he was too tired and he knew if he said that then everyone would willingly offer him more energy which he really didn’t want to have to do again. Instead, when Erica pointed to the house, Stiles nodded in agreement and allowed himself to be led inside. 

“You can stay in with me and Boyd.” Erica said enthusiastically, dragging Stiles up the stairs, he hadn’t been upstairs other than when Theo had nearly killed him and he’d woken up in Derek’s room and the one other time when he’d had to use the bathroom, it felt wrong, he wasn’t pack, he shouldn’t be here. 

“No fair. I nearly lost him too.” Scott complained, “He should stay in with me and Allison.” 

“If we’re being fair, we all nearly lost him and Cora and I are more than happy to let him share with us.” Isaac grinned and Stiles shook him head in bemusement. 

“I nearly died though!” Erica argued, “So I should have him.” 

“Guys, I’m not a piece of meat.” Stiles interrupted. 

“No, you’re so much more delicious than that.” Erica replied and Stiles blushed slightly, taking his hand away from hers.

“Don’t be a jackass otherwise I’m just going to go to my own house.” Stiles muttered embarrassed, he knew he wasn’t anything special, not really, he might make good bait, but that was because the supernatural creatures he was hunting could like scent him or something, he was like monster chow or something, especially since he’d started using magic. He knew he wasn’t hideous looking, but, he was never going to be a model or anything, never going to have anyone look at him and think he was anything other than moderately okay looking. 

Sure, okay, he’d had people make comments to him over the years, but, anyone he met through work was usually because they knew he didn’t date and the long-standing joke was to try and seduce him, he thought it was kind of cruel, but, he’d just gotten used to it by now. Anyone else, the people who hit on him when he was out in a bar or club or somewhere similar, well, they were so drunk they could barely remember their own names and Stiles knew that as soon as he took his shirt off they’d all go running for the hills. Stiles knew for a fact that when he walked down the street nobody would ever give him a second glance, not like Derek, not like any of the pack. They were all attractive, Stiles knew that, he was just the weirdo that they were stuck with because Scott and Stiles had been friends since childhood, okay, maybe that wasn’t true, Stiles got on with them, he could make jokes with them and laugh and make them smile or wipe away their tears, but, he wasn’t pack, he wasn’t pack because he wasn’t good enough. 

“Don’t be like that Mica, okay, fine, alright, Scott can come in with us?” Erica offered and Allison glared at her. 

“Why don’t we just use the pack room?” Peter suggested and Stiles looked at him in confusion. “It’s like the room at yours, designed for pack piles, we can all stay in there.” Peter explained, taking Stiles’ arm and leading him down the hall and up another flight of stairs, ignoring the mumbled protests as Stiles said he wasn’t sure this was a good idea. “Don’t be ridiculous, it’s fine, isn’t it Derek?” 

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Derek grumbled, sounding like it was anything but fine, Erica grabbed Stiles and pulled him onto the giant bed that filled the room, wrapping her arms around him and shuffling until she was comfortable, the rest of the pack piling in around him, Lydia appearing a few minutes after the rest of them once she got off the phone with Jackson, Stiles thought it was kind of nice that she was still in touch with him, although Jackson obviously wasn’t telling her everything that went on in his life. Stiles stayed still, not wanting to make anybody else uncomfortable, waiting until the breathing around him evened out and then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Stiles woke up in a cold sweat, he glanced around, glad to see he hadn’t disturbed any of the slumbering pack until he saw Derek’s eyes reflecting in the darkness and he winced, it was bad enough he was sleeping in the pack’s room, the Alpha couldn’t even sleep with him in here, he managed to disentangle himself from Erica, Scott and Lydia, getting to his feet and heading downstairs to the kitchen, aware of the soft footfalls behind him and glancing back to look at Derek who was following after him.

“Another nightmare?” Derek asked when Stiles had poured himself a mug of coffee and settled at the table, Stiles stared up at him in astonishment, his mouth dropping open in shock, “Theo mentioned that you have nightmares.” He admitted quietly and Stiles flushed in embarrassment. 

“Yeah, well, it’s nothing.” Stiles muttered. 

“I’m guessing that’s why you always look tired, how much sleep do you get Stiles?” Derek asked. 

“Enough.” Stiles replied quietly, clearing his throat uncomfortably and averting his gaze, looking instead at the kitchen table. “What can you tell me about the case with the mermaid? I know you’re both working on it, the body was found by one of the lakes in the preserve, wasn’t it? I’m guessing the victim was drowned?” Derek gritted his teeth as the obvious change of subject but he knew yelling at Stiles wasn’t going to help. 

“What are they about?” He asked instead, desperate to know if Theo had told the truth, if Derek was Stiles’ worst nightmare.

“The case is more important.” 

“I’ll tell you about the case if you tell me about your nightmares, sound fair?” Derek offered.

“I could just get the case file first thing in the morning.” Stiles replied. 

“Yeah, you could, but then, what would you do for the rest of the night?” 

“I could beat the information out of you.” Stiles snapped. 

“I’d like to see you try.” Derek grinned and Stiles looked away from the table to glare at him. 

“Steph.” He growled and Derek looked at him in confusion before Stiles sighed, his attention going back to the table, “I want to say since Theo, since the truth came out, but, in honesty, since the moment she was killed she’s there, telling me about how I failed her, how she’s dead because of me, how I should have saved her, I mean, I’ve been having them since, well, I used to have the odd one after Scott got bitten, but, they started properly after the nogitsune, most nights, so, it’s not like Steph was the first nightmare I had, there’s other things too, other creatures that have tried to kill me or hurt me, or things I’ve gone through that I maybe shouldn’t have survived, but, she’s pretty much always in them in some way or another now, because I failed her, and, since Theo told me what happened, she’s worse than ever, and, he’s there too, trying to rip me away from dad, or finding a way to bring the nogitsune back, and I’m back there, trapped inside my own body, powerless all over again.” Derek stared at him in shock, he hadn’t been expecting Stiles to actually confess to all that, “Now you know. Tell me about the case.” 

“Stiles,” Derek whispered, sitting next to him and reaching out to touch his hand, Stiles stared at it for a moment before he shifted, pulling his hand away from Derek’s and Derek tried not to be crushed by that small movement, “There is no way to bring back the nogitsune, you know that, and, Erica was right, Steph wouldn’t have blamed you, she sounds like she was a pretty capable woman, what Theo did wasn’t your fault.” 

“I don’t want to talk about this, okay? I just want to figure out this case.” 

“And then what? Take the next one? And the one after that? Stiles, at some point, you’re going to have to take a breath, take a rest, you can’t spend your whole life running away from this.” Derek tried to advise.

“I’m not running. I’m here, aren’t I? I’m back in Beacon Hills. I’ve got a house here. I’m working here. Does that sound like I’m running away?” Stiles replied angrily. 

“You’re not dealing with what happened, you’re having nightmares, you’re not sleeping properly, you’re working so hard as some kind of distraction, so, yeah, I’d say that’s not dealing, I’d say that’s running.” 

“You know nothing about me Derek!” Stiles snapped, pushing his chair away from the table, getting to his feet and glaring at him, “Don’t act like you give a damn, I’m not pack and I don’t need you pretending like you care, I’m fine and, even if I’m not, it is none of your damn business!” Stiles hissed, storming out of the house and slamming the door shut behind him, Derek stared after him in surprise, he hadn’t expected Stiles to blow up like that, every instinct he had told him to go after Stiles, to check he was okay, but, Stiles was right, Derek didn’t know anything about him, not anymore, Stiles had changed a lot in the three years he’d been away. 

Stiles strode through the preserve, making his way back to his own house, Derek was such a dick, he knew how Stiles had felt about him, knew how much he cared about the pack, and there was Derek, acting like he gave a damn, acting like Stiles mattered, he didn’t, he didn’t matter to Derek and they all knew that. He stormed into the cottage, pacing in agitation, not able to settle, instead he went to his office, throwing open the balcony doors and sitting at his laptop, his first job was to write the debrief on what had happened with Don, explaining how he’d been attempting to handcuff him, even sending diagrams of the handcuffs he’d designed. It didn’t take him long to write and send the email across and then he was left staring at a blank screen, his mind still racing, he frowned at the screen for a few moments, cracking his knuckles before beginning to type again. 

The pack all glared at Derek in annoyance over their breakfast, he’d told them that Stiles had left in the middle of the night although he hadn’t informed them of exactly what was discussed, they knew that Stiles and Derek had spoken and that Stiles had left, but, other than that, they knew nothing. Noah had received a call about an hour ago, they’d found another body by the lake, same MO as the other body, Derek and Noah were going to head out there just as soon as they knew what they were dealing with, Stiles wasn’t answering his phone, not even to his dad, and Derek hoped it was because he was sleeping and not because he was angry at Derek. 

“So you’re not going to tell me what this discussion was about? You know I’ll just get Stiles to tell me anyway?” Erica said and Derek gritted his teeth.

“We need to know the lore about mermaids, can you look it up? Find out what we need to know to stop this?” Derek asked. 

“Oh yeah, sure, let me just do that.” Erica said sarcastically, pulling out her phone, “Oh no, wait, Stiles isn’t answering his phone so he can’t help.” 

“But, you, you usually have like, the answers on google or something, don’t you?” Scott queried and Erica rolled her eyes. 

“No. I usually text Stiles and he comes back to me with whatever I need to know. You don’t think I just typed in like ‘how to kill a golem’ and it came up with all that info, do you?” Erica smirked, “But since our Alpha has decided to upset him, again, he’s obviously not feeling super helpful right now, besides, Stiles can handle the mermaid, he’s in town, he’ll know what to do. I don’t see why we need to research when we can just get Stiles to deal with it?” 

“I don’t want him in danger unnecessarily.” Derek replied.

“Isn’t that what started this whole mess in the first place?” Peter remarked and Derek growled at him. “I’m just saying, you deciding things for Stiles didn’t exactly work out so well last time.” 

“I know that.” Derek snapped. 

“We should head out to the crime scene, we can see the body, see if it is definitely the mermaid again, and, then we see if Stiles can help or if we can handle it ourselves, okay?” Noah commented and Derek nodded, not exactly happy about the situation but knowing Stiles was more than capable of handling himself, he just didn’t like seeing him in danger and Stiles had no sense of self-preservation, surely somebody needed to be looking out for his best interests? 

They’d barely been at the crime scene for more than ten minutes when Derek glanced across and froze. 

Stiles had reviewed the case using his father’s log ins, he knew he shouldn’t be using them but he couldn’t wait until the morning and he needed to know what he was dealing with. It was because of this that he was still awake when the call came through about another body turning up at a lake, he jumped in the shower, giving himself a quick energy boost, threw on a suit so he at least looked the part and headed across there. 

“I’m sorry but this is a crime scene, you’ll have to leave.” One of the deputies standing on the perimeter said to him and Stiles rolled his eyes, pulling out his badge.

“Special Agent, I’m here on official business.” He said, flashing his credentials. 

“Aren’t you a little young to be a special agent?” The deputy said and Stiles chuckled quietly. 

“So I’ve been told, now, excuse me I need to speak to the…ah, he’s there, I’ll go speak to him now.” Stiles said, seeing his dad and Derek both standing near the body, both of them looking at him in surprise, Stiles strode to his dad, his dad chuckling as he took the badge. 

“Special Agent M.S. huh? No names?” Noah commented and Stiles shrugged, apparently oblivious to the eyes on him from deputy Mills at the perimeter, Derek wasn’t oblivious though, he was well aware of Mills making a quiet comment to his colleague about how he was going to try and ‘bang the hot special agent’ before the day was out. 

“Protection, no names, means nobody knows my name, nobody can try to use you to get to me, or go after you to hurt me, confidentiality is important in these situations, with the kind of people I deal with.” Stiles explained, crouching down to look at the body and Derek took the moment to study Stiles, he looked good in a suit, no, he looked delectable, Derek wanted to claim him in front of everyone, for them all to know that Stiles belonged with him, that they belonged together. Stiles stood up after a few moments, looking from the body to the lake and back again a few times, Derek stared at him, stared at how his suit showed off the broadness of his shoulders, the narrowness of his hips, not to mention that his ass looked incredible. He heard Noah sigh from next to him and Derek glanced across at him, blushing when it became obvious that Derek had been staring at Stiles’ ass for longer than he should have been, thankfully Stiles hadn’t noticed even if Noah had. 

“So, what do you think?” Noah asked uncertainly and Stiles turned away from the lake to look at them, taking a step closer and keeping his voice quiet, his eyes darting to the other deputies in the surrounding area.

“It’s definitely a mermaid kill, dragged the guy into the lake, drown him, start eating him, the MO is consistent with mermaids, do you know where he was last seen? He’s been dead I’d say a week at least, and I’m guessing the previous victim was last seen there too? The Blue Oyster Bar, right? He went there last Friday and nobody has seen him since?” 

“Um, yeah, how do you know that?” Noah questioned then shook his head, “I’m not sure I want to know.”

“Relax, I only logged in using your passwords, which, really dad, you need to change them on a regular basis, you’re still using the same one from when I was in high school?” 

“That’s because I don’t usually have anybody trying to hack them!” Noah said in exasperation, “Whatever, right, yes, they were both last seen at Blue Oyster Bar, the first victim on a Friday night almost a month ago and this guy last Friday, which means what? How does that mean mermaid kill? How did they get out here in the first place?” 

“Well, it means the mermaid responsible for getting them out here is probably a male, what with it being a gay bar and both victims being there before their deaths, it’s not likely that they’d leave with a woman, so it’s probably a male and probably picking them up there.” Stiles said simply.

“Um, mermaid, that um, don’t they have tails?” Derek asked feeling idiotic until Stiles gave him a small grin, obviously the argument from last night was forgotten about for the time being. 

“In water, yeah, on land, no. Or at least not for short periods of time. They can’t come live here permanently, but, for a few hours, yeah they can get away with it, they grow legs, come on land, dance and party and go home. Usually they’re pretty harmless, the ones way out at sea feed on fish, they don’t even see humans and when they do, the last thought on their minds is ‘yum tasty’, more like ‘run away from the scary creature’, kind of like if a normal human saw a werewolf. The ones closer to the shores still live off fish, they come on land some evenings, they like dancing, a lot, probably because they aren’t used to having legs, and considering they don’t usually have legs they are freaking amazing dancers, but, yeah, there’s a few oddballs who may go for human, just like cannibals I guess, but, still, they only need to feed every couple of months, maybe twice a year, to drop two bodies in a matter of weeks? It’s weird, I mean, the bite radiuses vary meaning there’s multiple mermaids feeding off the body which could explain why the feedings are closer together, but it’s like all the cannibals in the world have suddenly joined together and swum up the rivers to Beacon Hills, I mean, it wouldn’t surprise me, but, it’s weird.” Stiles rambled and Derek and Noah both stared at him. 

“You’ve gone dancing with mermaids?” Derek asked dumbly and Stiles laughed. 

“Really? Group of man-eating mermaids swimming around in our water systems and that’s what you take from it?” Stiles joked, shaking his head in amusement, “Anyway, I’ll need to get some maps of the area, track which rivers they’re using, then I might be able to locate their hideout and deal with them, if not, well, we know where at least one of them likes to hang out when he’s got legs.” 

“You think he’ll go there again?” Noah asked. 

“It’s likely, he’s arrogant, two kills in a matter of weeks, he’s proud of himself, wants to prove he can provide for the others, I’m betting that the next attack will be sooner rather than later, he’s getting into the swing of things now.” Stiles said, looking again at the lake and frowning.

“So what do you need us to do?” Noah queried. 

“For now, nothing, until I have more of an idea of how many we’re dealing with, probably best if it’s handled delicately.” Stiles said, wiping the palms of his hands on his trousers as if he was nervous and moving back towards the perimeter. 

“Well, I do appreciate the help special agent, you’re damn good at what you do.” Noah said loudly, the deputies in the area all turning to look at them and Stiles smirking at Noah.

“Any time. I’ll bring you that information later on.” Stiles replied, giving his dad a quick wave before he headed off through the trees, Derek’s gaze was firmly fixed on his ass as he walked away and he knew he wasn’t the only one. 

“If you’re all done staring at my SON’S ass, it would be great if we could get some work done.” Noah commented loudly, although hopefully not loud enough for Stiles to hear, and Derek blushed, aware he wasn’t the only one looking away embarrassed at the fact the sheriff had just caught them blatantly checking out his son. “Mills, I need this body taking to the morgue, get on it. The rest of you, make sure all the equipment is packed up and samples are taken from the scene. Move it!” Noah shouted when nobody had moved, everyone sprang into action, carrying out Noah’s instructions in almost silence, although Derek could still hear Mills muttering under his breath to another deputy that he’d still try his luck with Stiles, he did his best not to growl at the man although he wasn’t one hundred percent sure he succeeded. 

Stiles came across to the Hale house later that evening, he looked tired but confident, determined, like he had a plan and Derek wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Stiles looked ready to launch into whatever his plan was but Cora shoved him down into a chair and Kira placed a plate of food in front of him.

“Eat. Whatever else can wait.” Peter ordered and Stiles looked at him in annoyance before shaking his head and digging in hungrily, he couldn’t remember if he’d eaten today after all. 

The pack chatted about their days, about what they had been up to, what else had been going on in their lives other than the latest supernatural threat, Stiles thought it was kind of nice, ninety percent of his conversations revolved around how the last job went, if he was injured, how long it would take to recover, what the next job was, where the next job was, if he’d need anything, the list was endless but it was never just normal talk, never just about how his day had been, what the last film was that he watched, he couldn’t even remember the last film he’d watched and the last book he’d read had been one about what magic elves could use, he missed the normality, he missed being around people. He found himself feeling lighter, happier, than he had been in years. 

“Alright, I can see you’re dying to tell us what you found.” Erica said sarcastically as soon as dinner was finished, grinning at Stiles who actually looked incredibly relaxed, like he would be asleep within moments if given the chance. 

“Right, yeah, sure.” Stiles said, getting up and grabbing the maps from the side, spreading them out over the table. “Okay, so, you found the first body here,” He pointed to one of the lakes, “And the second one here,” He pointed to a different one, “We know this river joins the two, but that there’s three other rivers that join into it and that lead to tens of lakes and ponds and, well, possibilities are endless, depending on the size of the pod, going on the different bite radiuses I’d say there’s at least ten of them, so it rules out some of the smaller ponds, they need some space after all, but, still, that still gives us a good thirty lake and rivers that they could be holding up in, and that’s if they’re staying in one place.” Stiles rambled.

“Can you track them? Like you did with the caster? Or with Erica?” Allison asked.

“No, I’d need some blood or need to know them to be able to do that.” Stiles shrugged, “It’s no big deal, I’ll just start looking for them, I’ll teleport around, see if I can find their hideout, mermaids in general are pretty reasonable.” Stiles said.

“We could come with you, just in case the murderous mermaids aren’t reasonable?” Isaac suggested and Stiles laughed. 

“It’ll be quicker just me, and, if they aren’t in the mood to play nice, I’ve got some firepower up my sleeve and if that doesn’t work, I just pop out of there, much better that I don’t have to worry about you guys getting hurt.” Stiles explained. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, there has to be a better way to find them?” Noah said.

“Well the other option would be to stake out the bar, which I was thinking I’d do anyway, hit them on both fronts, increases the chance of me finding them.” Stiles replied.

“But you said you think it was only the one guy at the bar?” Derek queried and Stiles nodded, “Meaning if you wanted to find the rest of them you’d have to go with him?” 

“Probably, if I can attract his attention, I mean, there’s probably a lot of people he could be interested in.” Stiles shrugged and then paused, an idea coming to him, “I can use you guys, I mean, I can use your noses, because, like mermaids still smell salty, even when they aren’t in the sea, and usually I could smell that kind of thing, but, enhancing my senses is obviously bit of a giveaway with the glowing eyes and everything, but, you guys could sniff him out, point me in the right direction…”

“You want us to point out the mermaid that’s already killed two people so you can go off with him?” Scott said in shock.

“Well, that’s the plan, although, really, the guy is going to be able to have his pick of the bunch, so, we need him to be interested in me, or, I guess, any of us, if you guys are willing to risk it, I mean, I’ll be there the entire time, so if you leave with him, I’ll be able to track you, so, I guess, that could work too, obviously, it would be better if I was the target but there’s a good chance if you guys are around he’ll go for one of you instead, I mean, would you be willing to do that? You can say no, obviously, it’s dangerous, so you can totally say no, in fact, you should say no, I shouldn’t have even suggested it. Forget I said anything, I can handle it myself, you should just stay home.” Stiles rambled.

“So, it’s okay for you to put yourself in danger but you’re not willing to let us do the same thing?” Lydia remarked and Stiles grinned.

“Well, not you specifically, I mean, I’m probably not going to be his first choice, but at least I’ve got the right parts.” He grinned and Lydia rolled her eyes. 

“Thanks for that genius, I couldn’t have figured that out myself.” She replied sarcastically, “What I meant is, if you’re putting yourself in danger, it’s only right we do it too, even if it isn’t me specifically.” She teased. 

“I’m in.” Peter said.

“Me too.” Isaac nodded. 

“I guess I’m in too, although I think it’s going to be kind of weird kissing a guy who isn’t you.” Scott admitted and Stiles laughed.

“You don’t have to kiss him Scott, just flirt, dance a bit, if you’re kissing him you’re doing it all wrong.” Stiles said.

“What if he tries to kiss me? I can’t exactly say no, that would raise suspicions, wouldn’t it?” 

“Scotty, you’re thinking way too much into this, just, flirt a bit, like you would with Allison, dance with him, suggest going somewhere more private, that’s it, you really don’t have to do anything more than that, get him outside, I follow you back to where the pod is waiting, you get the hell out of the way, as far and as fast as possible, and I talk to them and go from there, simple.” 

“Same rules apply for all of us? Whichever one of us attracts the lucky guys attention?” Peter asked.

“Yeah, and, no interference. Don’t go getting all protective, like, if he hits on Isaac, Cora can’t go over there and interrupt, we need to get him out of the club by himself at the very least, even if we don’t get him back to the pod, we can’t let him know we’re onto him, otherwise he might pick out a new hunting ground and the whole thing takes a lot longer to sort, more people die before we get to him, that’s not happening because somebody gets overprotective or jealous or whatever, and I’m looking at you here Derek, I know as Alpha it will be hard to watch someone in your pack be in danger, but, I’ll be there to protect them the instant they step outside, so, just, keep all your Alphaness under wraps, okay? Whoever he picks, they stick with it, get him outside, no interference, and as soon as I get there, the rest of you get the hell out of the way. All clear?” 

“Fine.” They all muttered in agreement, none of them were really happy about it, but, it was what needed to be done, Derek prayed with everything he had that this mermaid came after him rather than Stiles or any of the others in the pack, he didn’t want anything to happen to any of them. 

“Okay, cool, sounds like we’ve got a plan, well, I’m going to head back to the cottage, I’ll go check out some of the lakes and stuff tomorrow morning just in case I can resolve this without pimping you guys out and come across tomorrow evening and we can all go together?” Stiles offered.

“I still think somebody should be with you checking out the lakes, just in case.” Noah muttered.

“Dad, chill out, I’ll be fine, I’ve done this a hundred times, don’t worry about it.” Stiles replied easily.

“You should stay here.” Derek blurted out and Stiles wrinkled his nose in confusion. “You should stay here tonight, that way we know when you leave and how long before you should be back.” 

“I’m going to head out early and will probably be gone most of the day, being here will just disturb people.” Stiles replied, clearing his throat uncomfortably. 

“Don’t worry about it batman, at least this way I can make sure you at least eat breakfast.” Erica grinned, “You can crash in with us if you want? Then you’d only disturb Boyd and me?” 

“It’s fine, I have some work to do at the cottage anyway.” Stiles said, not wanting to admit that he didn’t want to wake up from one of his nightmares and then deal with Derek again, knowing the Alpha wouldn’t be able to sleep with Stiles in his den. 

“Okay, cool, we can all go there then.” Scott said brightly, grabbing several plates and taking them to the sink, “Let us just tidy up here and then we can come crash at yours.” He grinned happily and Stiles didn’t have the heart to argue with him, nodding tightly before taking his own dishes to the sink and helping the pack clean up. 

The pack all piled into the room at the cottage, waiting patiently for Stiles to finish whatever he was doing in his office until eventually, almost two hours later, Erica sighed heavily, got to her feet and went in to the office. Stiles was bent over the table, maps sprawled all over them and several areas highlighted, there were two case files spread over the top of the table, obviously belonging to the two victims so far, he glanced up in surprise when Erica wandered in, she grabbed his hand without a word and dragged him from the office, shoving him into the bed in the pack room and collapsing on top of him. 

“Go to sleep Mica.” She muttered sounding tired and Stiles felt guilt flood through him, he hadn’t realised Erica, or the others in the pack, were waiting up for him. 

He managed to get a couple of hours sleep before he startled awake from a nightmare, so glad that he’d cast the spell months ago that had started waking him up before he’d started screaming, he thought back to how annoyed Theo had gotten when he’d disturbed their sleep, when he woke up screaming or crying, the first few times Theo had witnessed it he’d been comforting, caring, and then he’d gotten fed up of it pretty sharpish, telling Stiles it was a dream and rolling over back to sleep, telling him to do something about it because he needed his sleep. He’d not slept until he’d managed to figure out a way to snap him out of his nightmares, almost three days before he’d been able to create a way for his brain to wake him up before he disturbed Theo, he just wished he could find a way to stop the nightmares too. Especially since Derek seemed to be awake yet again.

Stiles had shifted slightly, pushing Erica gently off him, he’d turned around and nearly faceplanted into Derek’s chest, the Alpha was looking at him with something like concern and Stiles flushed slightly, hoping that Derek couldn’t see it in the darkness of the room but knowing that his luck wasn’t usually that good. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled, moving to sit up so he could go back to his office and carry on working for a couple of hours before he headed out, as soon as he moved Derek wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled him back down to the bed. 

“Go back to sleep Stiles, it was only a nightmare.” Derek muttered and Stiles stared at him in shock for a few moments before clearing his throat uncomfortably. 

“I have work to do.” He whispered, trying to remove himself from Derek’s grip on his wrist. 

“It can wait.” Derek replied sounding tired, letting go of Stiles’ wrist and throwing an arm across his chest instead and cuddling up into his side. Stiles’ mind began to race nearly as fast as his heart, the last time they’d been like this had been followed by Derek telling him he was a liability, that it had been a mistake, he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down, to take a steadying breath, until, eventually, he slipped back into sleep. 

He startled awake again just as the sun was beginning to rise, the nightmare had been just as bad as usual, but, he’d at least managed to get a few more hours sleep and he did feel a lot better for it. Stiles was lying half on top of Derek, the Alpha was looking at him through half-lidded eyes, evidently, he had only just woken up and he seemed just as surprised to find Stiles basically lying on top of him. Stiles pulled away quickly, muttering apologetically, he didn’t need Derek to realise that he was not as over his feelings for the Alpha as he pretended he was, he’d spent three years trying to convince himself that he had gotten over Derek, he knew he stood no chance with Derek, he knew that there was nothing between them, the last thing he wanted was to let Derek know he was that pathetic that he’d never even found himself interested in anyone else since their night together, that no matter how hard he’d tried he’d never been able to get over his feelings. He didn’t need Derek to know that. No. It would only humiliate him even further when Derek rejected him again. 

That was Stiles’ most precious secret, one he hadn’t shared even with Erica or his dad, at least if they believed he was over Derek, if he was fine about everything, even if he wasn’t dating anybody else, then they wouldn’t be tempted to be annoyed at Derek for upsetting Stiles. He knew what they were well, overprotective, for lack of a better word, if they thought Stiles was still hung up on Derek then they’d go back to blaming him for Stiles being hurt by his rejection and he couldn’t have that, Derek was a good man, it was part of the reason Stiles was so in love with him, it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t feel the same way and he wouldn’t let people be mad at him for that. 

He teleported out of the bed and to the bathroom, splashing his face with cold water and shaking his head in disgust, god he was pathetic. No wonder Derek would never be interested in him. He took a few minutes to gather himself, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to stop it sticking up everywhere, he gave up after a few minutes knowing it was no use. He walked to his office, seeing the pack room door slightly ajar and ignoring it, hoping he hadn’t woken any of the others up, grabbing the maps and other equipment he’d need today and then he headed downstairs, shoving his feet into his boots and throwing his jacket on, knowing the leather jacket that he had enchanted with several protection spells would do a decent job of protecting him if he took any shots to the body, leaving him with bruises as oppose to what could have been fatal wounds, before he headed towards the door. 

“I told you breakfast first!” Erica called from the kitchen and Stiles rolled his eyes, feeling like a child as he wandered into the kitchen, finding Derek, Erica, Isaac and Scott all watching him with cautious eyes. 

“Right, yeah, sure, food, yum.” He said, snatching up a piece of toast and giving her a grin. “Well, thanks, but, murderous mermaids wait for no man...” He said. 

“Hang on, you need to eat more than that if you want to keep your energy levels up.” Isaac interrupted. 

“I’ll be fine, thanks.” Stiles replied. 

“We’ll wait here until you’re home, and you’ll call us if there’s any issues?” Erica pouted. 

“I promise Catwoman. Gotta run, lots of places to search.” He winked at her before vanishing on the spot and reappearing about a mile away, near one of the many rivers he was going to search today.

By the time the sun was starting to set Stiles realised this was completely pointless, he’d covered at least fifty miles of water ways, he’d teleported so many times he was actually starting to feel a bit light-headed and knew he needed to rest in case he actually needed to use his magic tonight, he groaned, scrunching up the maps in annoyance and shoving them back in his bag before he closed his eyes, concentrated, and made the jump back into his small kitchen. 

“Jesus Christ!” Boyd cursed, clutching at his chest in a dramatic gesture most unlike him, “Warn a guy!” 

“You’re in my kitchen.” Stiles retorted sarcastically, sinking into the nearest chair and trying not to let any of them know how much the final jump home was making him see stars. 

“Stiles!? What’s wrong?” Lydia said sounding panicked and Stiles looked up, not realising that he must have slumped more than he thought he had. 

“Huh? Nothing, I’m just a bit tired.” 

“Have you eaten at all since this morning!? Come here, you can have some of my energy.” Erica sighed impatiently.

“I’m fine, I’m just going to, um, go give myself a boost.” He said indicating the stairs, “You guys can head home, I’ll come across later and we’ll go to the bar if that’s still alright?” 

“So no luck finding them then?” Kira queried.

“Nope, nada.” He sighed heavily. 

“I’m curious,” Peter began and Stiles looked at him, doing his best not to roll his eyes, “Your ‘boosts’…”

“That we said we were never going to discuss again so your curiosity is just going to have to deal with never knowing.” Stiles interrupted.

“I’m just thinking, if, when you have an orgasm, the extra energy goes to you and those around you, if there was somebody else in the vicinity, perhaps giving you that orgasm, does that mean you could pretty much have sex continuously? Just, neither of you would ever get tired?” Peter said and Stiles blushed brightly before moving to the stairs.

“You’re just going to have to wonder about it.” Stiles retorted. 

“Well, I could try it out if you’d be willing?” Peter remarked and Stiles gaped at him, sure he’d just hallucinated this whole conversation. 

“I’m going to go upstairs now, you guys are going to go back to your own home and I’m going to do my best to pretend this conversation was a figment of my messed up imagination…”

“We might need the extra energy.” Erica interrupted and Stiles looked at her like she’d lost her mind, “I just mean, if the mermaid is there tonight, unlikely but still, if he is, we could probably all do with being on the top of our game, meaning extra energy?” Stiles stared at her for a moment before gritting his teeth. 

“Fine. But no listening in! This is already fucking embarrassing enough.” Stiles muttered murderously as he stomped up the stairs and shut the door to the bathroom behind him, still cursing under his breath as he turned the taps on in an attempt to block out the noise and undid his trousers. 

“It’s like you’re trying to fucking torture me.” Derek mumbled as soon as Stiles was upstairs and Erica shrugged her shoulders, grinning at him.

“That’s just an added bonus.” She said, all teeth, “But, honestly, we might need the extra energy, I know it’s frustrating for you, but, personally, I figure the more prepared we are the better.” 

“Fine.” Derek grumbled, doing his best to block out the sound of Stiles’ heartbeat from upstairs, Stiles had told them not to listen in and he was going to comply with that order, even if what he really wanted was to go upstairs, march into the bathroom, kiss Stiles until they both forgot how to breathe, god, this was so unfair, he went into the kitchen, doing his best to adjust himself without anyone seeing, this wasn’t fair, this was so fucking unfair, why had he been such an idiot in the first place? He should have never pushed Stiles away, he should have grabbed him tight and clung on with both hands. 

They all felt the wave of extra energy flow into them a few minutes later and Derek felt like he was about to explode with it, he felt like he could run into the next state before he felt tired, he felt like he could go for days without sleep, like anything he set his mind to would be simple to do, it was overwhelming and amazing and it felt so good, it felt better than last time, now he knew what was happening it wasn’t so confusing.

“Alright, are you guys going to go home and get ready now?” Stiles called down, evidently he wasn’t going to come down and speak to them. 

“Sure thing, thanks Mica!” Erica called brightly, running out of the house energetically and the rest of the pack following after her, Derek hesitated, he wanted to thank Stiles properly, tell him it meant a lot to him that he was looking out for them, making sure they were at their best if the mermaid was there tonight, but he wasn’t sure Stiles would appreciate him hanging around, so, he followed after the rest of them, shutting the door behind him and promising himself that he wasn’t going to allow this to go on, as soon as the mermaids were dealt with, he was going to sit Stiles down and tell him everything. Yes, Stiles would probably hate him, but, at least he’d know the truth and that was the most important thing, Derek couldn’t allow Stiles to continue on not knowing how much he mattered, how important he was, how fantastic he was and how much Derek loved him.

Stiles got ready for the bar, having a quick shower once the pack had left, throwing on some clothes and then looking at himself assessingly in the mirror. He’d gone for a pair of black jeans that he thought made his ass look reasonably okay and a dark red shirt that contrasted his pale skin and made his eyes almost glow, he’d rolled up the sleeves slightly to expose his forearms, he’d left the top couple of buttons undone, more for ease of movement than anything else, he was a bit uncertain over the fact that the edge of a few of his tattoos were on show, but, he’d deal with it. He was nervous, more so than he’d ever been before, this wasn’t his life he was risking, he was risking the packs, if this mermaid was there, and if he went for one of the pack instead of Stiles, then they’d be in danger and it would be Stiles’ fault, he needed to be on his A-game, he needed to make sure he drew this mermaid in somehow, before he set eyes on any of the pack. 

He drove across to the Hale house, thinking it was sensible to save his magic, not knowing if he might need it before the night was out, and climbed out of the car, taking a few steadying breaths, reassuring himself that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to the pack, before he headed up the front porch. 

“You guys ready to go?” He called out as he wandered in, surprised to find the entire pack already waiting in the living room and all of them staring at him like he’d grown a second head, “What?” He asked in confusion.

“I really want you to rethink that offer of a threesome.” Erica said and Stiles laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

“Very funny.” He replied sarcastically, “Are you guys ready to go or not?” He asked, they were all smartly dressed, the girls in dresses that made them stand out, ‘just in case he decided to change his preferences’ Lydia had smirked and Stiles had rolled his eyes. The guys were all in button down shirts and jeans, looking a little nervous but determined, Stiles was going to suggest that they stay here, that he’d handle it by himself but one look from Derek and he knew it was pointless. They were going to help Stiles find the mermaids and there was no point arguing about it, Stiles did his best not to stare at Derek, he was dressed in a green shirt that clung tightly to his arms and chest, and, Jesus, fuck, everything Derek was wearing clung in all the right places and Stiles did not need to get an awkward boner right now, he averted his gaze, turning back towards the door. “So, ready?” He asked, clearing his throat.

“Sure.” Scott nodded confidently, he was going to protect Stiles, he was going to find this guy way before he ever got the chance to get anywhere near Stiles, before he got near any of his pack, even if it meant he was in danger, he knew Stiles would have his back, he wasn’t scared about that. The biggest challenge was going to be attracting the guys attention when he was competing against Stiles, he wasn’t interested in guys, he was with Allison and he was happy, but, if he was going to be with a guy, then it was Stiles, Stiles who looked incredible, who looked dangerous and beautiful, who kissed maybe even better than Allison, not that he’d ever say that to her. If he walked into a room and wanted to pick out a guy to go home with, his eyes would be instantly drawn to Stiles and that made his task that much harder, he’d have to find a way to get to the mermaid before the mermaid got to Stiles. 

Derek watched Stiles walk towards his car, his gaze fixed lower than it probably should have been, he couldn’t help but growl quietly in annoyance when he realised that everyone else’s gaze was fixed lower than it should have been too. The wolves must have heard his growl as they all glanced to him, blushing slightly and averting their gaze as Scott nudged Allison, Isaac knocked shoulders with Kira and Boyd touched Lydia’s arm. 

Lydia startled slightly, looking away from Stiles’ ass to look at Boyd who glanced towards Derek, Lydia rolled her eyes in annoyance, shaking her head and pointedly looking away from Stiles. 

“So, are we all going in together?” Isaac queried as they drove towards the bar in the packed car, the rest of the pack following in more vehicles behind them. Stiles was just grateful that his dad and Melissa were staying out of this, not that he didn’t think his dad could handle a mermaid, but, there was a limit to what Stiles would be witness to, and watching his dad try and flirt with a mermaid was going on the never, ever, ever going to happen. 

“I think it would probably be better to go in in smaller groups, make it look like a few of us are here by ourselves, and, try and avoid interacting with each other. Mermaids can’t scent like wolves can, so they won’t be able to smell you on each other, but, still, if we want him to try and pick one of us up, it would be better if he thought that we were here alone.” Stiles explained as he parked the car and climbed out, surveying the bar in front of him. It was already loud, music blasting out and the windows were flashing with multicoloured lights, Stiles gritted his teeth, he hated these kinds of places, give him a good library any day of the week, god, when had he got so boring? 

“Alright, I’ll go in first.” Derek said, hoping he could figure out if the mermaid was in there and then go introduce himself to the guy before any of the rest of the pack even got in there. If keeping them safe meant putting himself in danger then he was happy to do it, besides, he knew Stiles would be there to rescue him the instant the mermaid was out of the bar. 

He stepped inside, wrinkling his nose slightly at the smell, it stank of the sea, the mermaid was here, no doubt about it, the problem was that his scent was everywhere, it permeated the place, he’d obviously been here a lot, not just tonight, but over a long period of time, it wouldn’t surprise Derek if he came here every night for the last month at least. 

He moved towards the bar, trying to find the source of the scent and failing miserably, aware of the rest of the pack entering in small groups behind him. He made eye contact with the bartender, getting himself a drink and inhaling as casually as possible, clenching his jaw when he realised that none of the people next to him were the mermaid. He looked around, catching sight of different pack members scattered around the room, there had to be easily three hundred people here, how the hell were they supposed to figure this out? 

Derek glared at the first guy that tried chatting him up, he’d tried to be civil, up until he’d caught a whiff and knew it wasn’t the mermaid, then he’d scowled at him until the man in front of him literally walked off mid-sentence, aware he wasn’t going to get anywhere. 

Stiles headed inside the bar and looked around, clocked the pack around the room, studied the mass of people writhing on the dancefloor, the place was heaving, there was barely space to breathe without bumping into somebody else, he grabbed himself a quick shot of whiskey, needing it to calm his nerves, giving Isaac a small smile when he caught sight of him and then headed onto the dancefloor. 

Stiles concentrated on the fact that he needed to lure this mermaid in before any of the others, he needed to protect them, cursing himself that he’d even suggested using their noses to help locate the guy, he should have kept them out of it. He danced with a couple of different people, moving on from them when he’d got close enough to realise they weren’t the mermaid, that they didn’t smell of the sea, they smelled salty, sweaty, but not the same brine of the ocean and he could tell the difference. 

He excused himself from the latest guy he’d been dancing with, going to the bar to grab himself another drink when Peter shoved in next to him, his eyes flashing blue for the briefest second before he got himself under control but it was enough to unnerve Stiles, something was obviously wrong. 

“What are you doing!?” Peter hissed sounding pained and Stiles looked at him in confusion.

“I’m just dancing?” Stiles replied.

“No, your scent, you’re, like, broadcasting it across the whole damn bar.” Peter said, his eyes flashing blue again. 

“What? No, I’m not?” Stiles answered feeling thoroughly confused. 

“Yes, you are.” Peter growled, his fist clenched tightly at his side.

“Alright, and I’m guessing it’s a bad thing?” Stiles whispered, looking around and catching sight of the other wolves who all flashed their eyes for the briefest moment when Stiles looked at them, they looked on edge, like they were about to go hunting and he was the prey, he gulped nervously. 

“It is if you don’t want one of us or all of us attempting to fuck you before the night is out.” Peter said through clenched teeth and Stiles turned to gape at him. 

“What!?” He squeaked. 

“You’re scent says you’re on the hunt for a mate and it is really fucking desirable so get it under control or people are going to get hurt.” Peter warned and Stiles stared at him like he’d lost his mind, “Do you want all of us trying to have sex with you at once? Because you’re going to get hurt and if that doesn’t terrify you then think about us tearing each other apart in the attempt to get to you. You really want to see Isaac trying to fight Derek to get to you?” Stiles felt like he lost any colour he had, feeling sick to his stomach, he hadn’t been doing anything, he hadn’t been doing any magic, he knew he hadn’t, he’d just been trying to lure the mermaid in. Peter took a deep breath and seemed to relax a little bit, “Good, it’s reducing slightly, just, keep it under control otherwise the mermaid isn’t going to be the only one you need to worry about, understand?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles said, his voice cracking slightly as Peter vanished back into the crowds and he ordered another drink, his mind racing, he’d altered his scent somehow? Was that why he always seemed to attract the creatures when he was on assignment? He downed the lemonade, ignored the slight tremble in his fingers at this sudden shock and made his way back to the dancefloor, he’d barely been there for more than a minute when somebody came behind him, wrapping their hands around his waist and a body pressed hard against his back.

“You smell absolutely magical.” A voice whispered in his ear seductively and Stiles rolled his eyes before he forced a fake smile onto his lips and turned around to see who he was dealing with. The guy was attractive enough he guessed, he was tall, maybe an inch taller than Stiles, with blonde hair and eyes the colour of mud, he wasn’t anything particularly special from Stiles’ point of view, but, judging by the looks of people around them, Stiles’ opinion was wrong. 

“And you smell kind of…” He leaned in, taking a deep breath and then grinning, “Kind of like the ocean?” He said loudly, hoping the wolves would hear over the music, he knew they had if the way Scott and Boyd both stilled in the middle of the dancefloor, “So, are you a surfer?” Stiles asked, swaying in time to the music, letting the man’s hands rest on his hips and guide him gently, Stiles’ arms going up around his neck. 

“Not quite, but I do spend a lot of time in the sea.” He replied smugly and Stiles laughed brightly, moving a little closer to him. 

“A swimmer then?” 

“Yeah, I love to swim. My name’s Martin, what’s yours?” 

“Thomas.” Stiles lied simply, names had power, he wasn’t giving his away that easily. 

“Thomas, huh, it suits you.” Martin said, his hands moving to Stiles’ lower back and pulling him closer so that they were practically grinding against each other. “So, Tom, you here with anyone?” 

“Nope, just on a break from college, thought I could come here before I head back home for a few weeks, maybe find someone to have a good time with for the night, blow off some steam and all that.” He replied. 

“Oh well I can help you with that.” Martin grinned, pulling Stiles closer still, moving his hands to his ass and groping him, Stiles kept the fake smile plastered on his lips no matter how nauseous he felt, he’d somehow lured the mermaid in, now he needed to keep up the act. 

They danced for a few minutes, laughing and flirting and Stiles doing his best not to punch the guy in the face before Martin leaned in closer, so that his mouth was next to Stiles’ ear and his hands were firmly on his ass. 

“So you don’t know anyone here?” Martin asked.

“No, why? Should I?” Stiles replied lightly. 

“There’s a guy at the bar who won’t stop glaring at us, I know I’ve never seen him before, I thought he might know you?” 

“Unlikely. I’m not from town, just passing through.” Stiles lied, internally cursing whichever wolf it was that was going to ruin their whole plan if they didn’t get their protectiveness under control. 

“He’s attractive. I think he’s kind of jealous that I’m here with you.” Martin said and Stiles forced the smile on his features before he pulled back enough that he could see Martin’s face. 

“If you want to use me to make him jealous that’s cool and all, but I’m actually interested in having my brains fucked out tonight, so don’t waste my time, go talk to him and let me get back to my thing.” Stiles said easily, knowing it was a risk, he could send Martin straight over to whoever it was, but, it might also force Martin into suggesting they get out of here. 

“You misunderstand me.” Martin said lightly, leaning back in to nibble on Stiles’ ear, “I think he’s very jealous that I’m the one touching you, I think he’s interested in fucking you.” Stiles took a moment, trying to figure out how he could use that to his advantage while internally cursing whatever the fuck he’d done to his scent to mess with the wolves like this. 

“Really? Well, maybe I should go talk to him? Do you think he’ll do a better job of keeping me interested? In keeping me satisfied?” Stiles said in what he hoped was a seductive manner, Martin’s grip on his ass tightened almost to the point of pain and Stiles was pretty sure he was going to have bruises. 

“I think I’ll do a fantastic job of satisfying you, I’ll make you cum so hard you’ll scream my name, I’ll make you beg me to stop because you can’t handle any more orgasms, I’ll make you cum until you can’t stand up, can’t even walk in a straight line by the time I’m done with you.” Martin said possessively and Stiles grinned. 

“Big words. Let’s go find out if you’ve got the skill to back them up.” He replied, taking Martin’s hand and leading him towards the door, laughing and ducking out of Martin’s reach when the man moved his hand to Stiles’ crotch, “Not in here, come on, let’s go back to yours, you can show me your moves there.” Stiles teased, caught by surprise when Martin shoved him roughly into the nearest wall and started kissing him. Stiles couldn’t pull away, not if he wanted to keep up the act, but, Jesus, this guy was a fucking awful kisser, Stiles didn’t think he was that great, and admittedly Derek was the only person he’d ever kissed willingly that it hadn’t been about energy or very rarely on assignment, he tried to avoid that at all costs, but, this guy was truly awful, there was way too much tongue and spit and it felt like kissing a fish, which, he kind of guessed he was. He pushed Martin gently away when he started grinding against Stiles’ crotch, pretty sure that if he didn’t stop him soon the guy was going to try fucking Stiles in the middle of the club. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Stiles encouraged, tugging Martin behind him and doing his best not to grimace when his hands were back on his ass again. “So, which way is home?” Stiles asked. 

“I’ll get us a cab.” Martin said, flagging down a cab and pulling Stiles in after him, “Head out on the south road, I’ll let you know when to turn.” Martin ordered and Stiles glanced at the cabbie, stilling for the briefest second when he realised it was his dad, his eyes widened in shock but before he could even attempt to ask him what the fuck he was doing here, Martin was pulling him close, running his hands up and down his sides, grabbing his ass, his mouth biting gently on his neck and then moving up to start kissing Stiles again. Stiles was sure he was going to puke, he didn’t want this, but, he needed to know where the pod were staying, he refused to meet his dad’s gaze, pulling away from Martin and giving him a grin.

“We’ve got company.” Stiles said, indicating where his dad was sat in the front seat. 

“So? He sees this kind of thing all the time I’m sure. God, you’re so fucking gorgeous, I can’t wait to fuck you. I’m going to do all kinds of things to you before the night is out.” Martin cooed, pulling Stiles back into another kiss and climbing on top of him, until he was all but pinned flat to the back seat, Stiles flipped them easily, almost rolling off the seat and ignoring the way Martin grinned in excitement, grinding their hips together. 

“You might get off on fucking in front of a stranger but I don’t, so, let’s wait until we get to yours, okay? Where abouts is it?” Stiles asked, Martin looked like he was ready to argue but decided against it. 

“Turn down here, on the right.” Martin said and Noah drove them down a gravel drive, coming to a stop outside a cabin that sat next to a lake, Stiles relaxed slightly, he wouldn’t make a move until he knew the rest of the pod was here, but, he was almost certain this was the right place. Martin handed Noah some cash and then dragged Stiles out of the cab towards the cabin, shoving him roughly into one of the walls and starting to kiss him again before the cab was even out of sight. 

Martin reached down for Stiles’ belt buckle, his other hand gripping his ass so tight that Stiles had no doubt there would be bruises, he tried to move towards the door of the cabin, as soon as he had a visual on the rest of the pod he was going to make Martin pay for kissing him, except Martin shoved him hard and Stiles landed hard on the wooden porch, not having any time to recover before Martin was climbing on top of him, straddling him, kissing his neck and starting to unbutton his shirt. 

“Stupid fucking werewolf, thinking you were his property, you’re not, you’re going to be mine, I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to move, I’m going to have so much fun, it’s going to be so good.” Martin muttered against his neck and Stiles wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear about werewolves when suddenly Martin bit his neck, hard enough to draw blood and Stiles let out a startled gasp of pain. 

“What the fuck dude!?” Stiles shouted, shoving Martin hard enough to knock him off and then getting to his feet, “I’m not into that kinky vampire shit, I just want to a good fuck, now, are we going inside or not?” Stiles said.

“Not yet, I want you to myself for a little bit first.” Martin grinned ferally, his lips stained with Stiles’ blood. 

“By yourself? What are you talking about? Are there more people in there? I thought this was your place?” 

“Just my family. But, when they see you, god, they’re going to want a piece of you too, and, we can’t have that, not yet, I want to make you cum before we…well, I want to feel you cum with my cock in your ass, hear you beg me, god, I’m going to fuck you so hard, there’s no way you’ll doubt my ability to satisfy you.” Martin rambled and Stiles grinned.

“Touched a nerve there, did I?” He mocked and Martin growled at him, Stiles laughed loudly. “You know that werewolf you were muttering about, he has a scarier growl.” Stiles smiled, summoning a ball of fire into his palm and watching as Martin paled significantly.

“You’re a fucking caster, no wonder you smelled so fucking good, you spelled me!” Martin hissed in outrage and Stiles shrugged. 

“I might have lured you in, but, the plan to fuck me and eat me, that was all you.” He replied, surprised to see cars approaching and the entire pack piling out along with his dad, all of them looking furious. “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

“Derek called as soon as this piece of crap took the bait, I had my GPS on, they followed the cab and we waited until we were sure that this was the right place.” Noah explained and Stiles fought the urge to look at the pack, knowing he couldn’t afford to be distracted right now, “I’m just really glad you decided it was before it went any further, we weren’t just going to watch him rape you.” 

“Neither was I.” Stiles replied coldly. “Now, how about we go inside?” He said, indicating that Martin should open the door and lead the way. 

“I knew you were special.” Martin smirked raising a finger to his lips and wiping at Stiles’ blood that still sat there. “I’m special too, not like all your other mermaids.” Martin smiled. 

“Really? And how’s that?” Stiles replied coldly. 

“Well, I’m assuming you’re aware of the fact that mermaids can manipulate water? You seem to know what you’re dealing with, so I assume you did a bit of research at least?” Martin taunted. 

“Yeah, I’m well aware of that fact.” Stiles said, ignoring the way that everyone else looked shocked, maybe it wasn’t as common knowledge as he thought it was. 

“Well, as it so happened I caught an episode of a show one evening a few years back, I was walking down the street, minding my own business, when I caught sight of this stupid cartoon, it was stupid really, the idea of one person in the whole world that could control all four elements, but, what really caught my attention was what they called ‘water-bending’, it was similar to what we do in so many ways, I wondered if the person who wrote it had had some experience with mermaids…” 

“Get to the point asswipe.” Erica snarled. 

“Of course, you see, this particular episode showed something so fascinating that, if it was at all possible, it would make my hunting a lot easier, make sure that my victims put up much less of a fight. So I tried it, repeatedly, until I got it to work, they called it ‘blood-bending’” He grinned widely, indicating the drop of blood on the end of his finger, “And all I needed was a drop of blood from my victim.” Stiles felt his mouth drop open in shock, he’d never heard of mermaids being able to do anything like that, it was impossible, it had to be, right? 

“You hurt him and I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.” Noah said, pulling his gun out and levelling it at Martin with a practiced ease. 

“I think you’ll find, you kill me and you won’t be able to stop it.” 

“Stop what?” Derek asked sounding worried. 

“Why don’t you ask Thomas? Can you feel it yet? Is it starting to burn? That’s only the beginning. You don’t comply with my orders and you will feel as your blood boils inside your body.” Martin smirked proudly and Stiles glared at him, ignored the stinging sensation he could feel and waved his hand, twisting it and then clicking his fingers, smirking right back at Martin when he fell to the floor, a tail where his legs used to be. 

“You want to use blood magic on me? Fine. Let’s do it. Because believe me, long before my blood boils, I will make you scream and beg for mercy and I don’t need to resort to anything as pathetic as blood magic.” Stiles replied calmly, clicking his fingers and grinning ferally as Martin screamed in agony and more scales appeared on his ribs, “Now, you can be a gentlemen and take the spell off and I’ll kill you nice and quick, or you can leave it on and I’ll drag this out, I’ll go into this cabin, round up the rest of the mermaids that followed you and make you watch as I skin them slowly, painfully, as they beg for death and then, then it’ll be your turn. The choice is yours.” Stiles threatened sounding dangerous, Derek knew it shouldn’t turn him on as much as it did but he couldn’t help it. He liked when Stiles showed just how dangerous he could be, how he was more than capable of defending himself, it made Derek’s wolf howl proudly that their mate was so perfect. 

Martin looked like he was ready to admit defeat when suddenly all hell broke loose, the cabin door swung open and a group of people burst out, Stiles reacted instantly, a barrier appearing that separated the pack from the mermaids, and then Stiles was moving, fireballs appearing in his palms and flying towards the mermaids who narrowly avoided them, while Stiles had to dodge blasts of water that came from the river behind them, smashing through the cabin and trying to hit Stiles at easily a hundred miles an hour, it was terrifying to watch.

The cabin was destroyed within minutes, reduced to nothing more than its footings as Stiles’ fireballs missed their targets and blasts of water from the mermaids ripped it apart, Derek wanted to help but he couldn’t get through the barrier, and, even if he could, he wasn’t sure what he could do to help, not that Stiles needed it, eight of the twelve additional mermaids were already dead, he was surprised to find that their tails had returned the moment they had died, there were only four remaining plus Martin, who seemed to be trying to crawl towards the river and not having much luck as he found his way blocked time after time by debris from the cabin or other mermaids or Stiles’ magic. 

It took ten minutes before everything silenced, Stiles was panting heavily, a gash in his arm and a scratch across his cheek and the bite mark on his neck that was still bleeding, he looked pale, but determined, his jaw clenched tight as he climbed over the dead mermaids and grabbed Martin by the hair pulling him back and away from the river that he was trying so desperately to get to. 

“Take the fucking spell off.” Stiles growled, he could feel it now, a burn under his skin, like he was burning from the inside out, which he guessed he was, he was tired, his magic depleted from the fight, he knew he should be able to break the blood magic, but, it would take time and energy and right now he didn’t feel like he had either. 

“Can you feel it now spark?” Martin asked and Stiles froze. 

“What?” He growled angrily. 

“What? You think I don’t recognise a spark’s magic when I see one? You’re powerful, aren’t you? Having you by my side will be my crowning glory, now, follow my orders and I’ll reduce it, make it a slight irritation as oppose to wanting to rip your own skin off.” Martin smirked, thinking that he was seemingly victorious. 

“You’re an idiot.” Stiles replied, “You know I’m a spark and you think you can control me?” Stiles laughed.

“What’s a spark?” Scott asked, “I thought you were just a caster?” 

“Not now Scotty.” Stiles replied beginning to sound like he was in pain which set Derek’s nerves on edge. “Now, take the spell off, before I get really pissed off.” Stiles said, twisting his hand again and making Martin scream and writhe in pain, scales appearing on his chest. 

“Okay, okay, just stop!” He screamed and Stiles gritted his teeth.

“Now.” He commanded and Martin whimpered, closing his eyes and then letting out a sigh, Stiles relaxed instantly, the spell was broken, he could breathe easily. 

“Now you’ll let me leave?” Martin whimpered, moving backwards without breaking eye contact with Stiles. 

“I think I said I’d kill you quickly, but I’m feeling nice, so, I’ll let you live, but, you’re never going to kill another human again.” 

“I won’t, I promise.” Martin said. 

“Oh no, I’m not giving you a choice in the matter.” Stiles smirked before twisting his hands and clicking his fingers, there was a bright white light and the pack stared in awe as the place where Martin was lay was now filled by a fish. “You’ll live, well, until you take a bite of the wrong line anyway.” Stiles said before throwing Martin back into the river.

“You turned him into a fish?” Erica asked in amusement and Stiles shrugged. 

“I don’t like killing in cold blood.” He replied, he sounded exhausted but relieved, he looked around at the dead mermaids, “They were in the heat of the moment, life or death, but, he, I couldn’t just kill him when he was begging for his life.” 

“Even though he killed two people?” Isaac queried. 

“It wasn’t like I could hand him over to the police, he’d spend the night in lock up and in the morning there’d be a mermaid there, kind of a bit of an exposure risk.” Stiles said sheepishly. “So, you know, better not to let people know mermaids exist.” 

“So your first thought was ‘I’m going to turn him into a fish’?” Cora said sarcastically. 

“He’s a mermaid, fish made sense.” Stiles said, there was a stunned silence before everyone seemed to burst into laughter at once. 

The cabin was destroyed, reduced to ruins that looked like they’d been there for years, other than the fact it was still smouldering slightly in a few places thanks to Stiles. Stiles used his magic to bury the mermaids that had been killed and the pack had removed as much evidence as they could that there had been a fight there while Noah, Lydia, Kira and Allison walked back down the lane to where they had left the cars and drove them back to the clearing. 

Derek watched as Stiles did his best to clear up the damage he’d created, he looked exhausted, like he could sleep for a week, and he was still bleeding from the bite mark on his neck as well as the gash on his arm and shallow scratch on his cheek, it was like Stiles wasn’t even aware of them, like his injuries were the last thing on his priority list which frustrated Derek like nothing else. Admittedly, seeing Stiles dancing with strangers all night had been frustrating, catching his scent that indicated he was on the hunt for a mate had nearly driven him insane and he was grateful to Peter for saying something, mainly because Derek was sure if he moved it would only be to claim Stiles as his own and he really didn’t want to do that, not unless Stiles was okay with it, he’d actually had to growl at Cora when she’d moved towards Stiles, he would fight her for him, he would fight them all for him, thankfully his growl seemed to snap Cora out of whatever kind of trance she was in and she looked at Derek apologetically before moving back to the nearest table. 

None of that had been as bad as when Martin had approached Stiles though, the instant he’d seen Stiles dancing with him, seen him touching Stiles, every instinct he had told him to claim their mate, to make sure everyone knew who he was with, but, he fought it with everything he had. He knew the plan, he knew Stiles would be pissed at him if he ruined it, but, still, he shouldn’t be letting Stiles put himself in danger like this, and seeing Martin kiss Stiles, smelling the disgust rolling off Stiles even as he didn’t push Martin instantly away, it was wrong, he shouldn’t be letting the guy touch Stiles, kiss Stiles, when it wasn’t what Stiles wanted. If he’d thought that was bad, seeing them at the cabin, seeing Martin practically forcing himself on Stiles, it had been enough to make him feel sick for standing there and allowing it to happen. He’d been so enraged, Peter and Boyd had actually had to hold him back from ruining Stiles’ plan. 

Stiles drove them back to the Hale house, looking like he was ready to drop any second, Derek suggested he stay at theirs for the night, he knew Stiles wasn’t going far but he still didn’t want him to pass out behind the wheel, but Stiles insisted he needed to head home, there was things he needed to do, not that he’d tell any of them what those things were. Lydia disappeared upstairs already on the phone to Jackson, the others headed off to bed and Erica gave Stiles a peck on the cheek before she too disappeared into the house. Derek hung back, looking at Stiles in worry for a few moments and Stiles gave him a wide grin.

“Don’t worry so much big guy, you’re getting frown lines.” Stiles teased before he drove off, glad that as soon as the pack were out of sight he could allow his walls to slip slightly, they didn’t fall completely until he was home, until he’d climbed into the shower, trying to wash the stench of Martin from his skin, scrubbing at his skin until it was raw in places and yet he could still feel his hands on him. He sunk to the floor of the shower, tears sliding down his cheeks, biting down on his fist to stop the sobs that were threatening to overwhelm him, he hated it, he hated that he’d had to do that, but it was worth it, it was better that it was him and not a member of the pack, he was able to protect himself, he was able to use magic, none of them were, they could have relied on their strength, but, against blood magic? They’d have been dead long before Stiles could have done anything about it.

Stiles didn’t sleep, he couldn’t, every time he closed his eyes he felt phantom hands on him, imagined a million different ways that things could have gone wrong, the blood magic being used on one of the wolves, one of them being picked by Martin instead, Stiles lost track of them, the rest of the mermaids had been stronger than Stiles and they’d killed him and then the pack, there were so many possibilities, so many ways things could have gone wrong and they were running over and over in his mind. By the time morning came he’d written the debrief on what had happened with the mermaids, he’d completed three other open assignments, making notes on the case files and sending them back to headquarters, and he’d read four chapters of a book on tribal magic in outer magnolia.

Derek was lying in bed, thinking about what he was going to say to Stiles, he’d told himself he was going to tell Stiles as soon as the mermaids were dealt with and he’d meant it, he was running over events in his mind, trying to figure out where was best to start, how to start, when there was a quiet knock on his bedroom door. He padded barefoot over to the door, wondering why someone was knocking on his door in the middle of the night, surprised to find Lydia stood on the other side, tear tracks evident on her cheeks. 

“Lydia? What’s wrong?” Derek asked quietly. 

“Can I sleep in here with you tonight?” She muttered shamefully and Derek took one look at her before he nodded, pulling her into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

“Lyds, what’s going on?” Derek asked as he pulled her into a hug. 

“Jackson, he…he doesn’t want me.” Lydia sobbed brokenly and Derek didn’t know what the hell was going on, he sat Lydia down on the bed with an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. 

“Okay, calm down and take a breath, tell me what happened.” He said. 

“I called Jackson, and he, he wouldn’t stop talking about Stiles, wouldn’t stop asking about him, and I yelled at him, asked him why he didn’t want to ask about me, why he wouldn’t talk to me about anything other than Stiles and he told me…” She took a steadying breath, “He said why would he bother asking about me when he’s not interested in me, he’s only been staying in touch because he wanted information on the pack, on Stiles. He’s been playing the long game and I’m such an idiot, because I fell for it, all this time, all this time and he’s been using me, it’s all been a lie.” Lydia sobbed and Derek held her closer, pulling her tight to his side and snuggling into bed with her.


	12. Chapter 12

Stiles headed across to the Hale house once the sun had risen, he knew he should probably wait until asked, he didn’t want to overwhelm them with his presence, but, he was going out of his mind in his cottage, he needed a distraction and Erica was the best for that.

“Hey batman!” Erica called from the kitchen as soon as he opened the front door and he followed her voice, surprised to see Erica, Isaac, Kira and Malia already up and in the kitchen. “You look like shit, have you slept at all?” 

“Yeah, sure, yeah.” Stiles lied smoothly, settling into a seat at the kitchen table and ignoring the looks from the others around the table. “So what’re you guys up to?” 

“Just getting ready to face the day, you know some of us have college and work to attend, we can’t all have a luxury job that pays us a fortune.” Erica replied sarcastically. 

“Aww poor baby, it must be so hard for you.” Stiles smirked, it falling slightly when Erica rested a hand on his cheek. 

“You haven’t healed yourself.” She muttered in concern. 

“I was busy.” Stiles shrugged, “Did I tell you I found this awesome book about tribal magic and well, you know how I get distracted…” He trailed off. 

“You should head up to the pack room, I’m sure some people are still asleep up there. You can go crash in there for a few hours, heal some of these cuts.” Kira suggested. 

“I better not.” Stiles replied.

“Why not? You’re not still on about this whole ‘not pack’ thing? I mean we all know Derek’s just lying to cover his own ass, it’s bullshit.” Malia said, not looking up from her cereal and oblivious to the fact that Stiles was staring at her in shock. 

“What?” Stiles muttered.

“What?” Malia replied confused, and then freezing as if realising she’d just said something she shouldn’t. 

“Where’s Derek?” Stiles asked. 

“He’s still in bed I think?” Isaac said, refusing to look Stiles in the eye, Stiles narrowed his eyes at them before turning on his heel and heading up the stairs, was Malia telling the truth? Was he really pack now? If so why hadn’t Derek said something to him? He would have to ask the man himself, make it official or something, Stiles knew he hadn’t always been pack, Derek had been clear about that, so if he was now, he kind of wanted some sort of recognition of it, make it equally clear that he’d proved himself now, that he was good enough to be pack now. He approached the door and stopped still when it opened suddenly and Derek came out, pulling a shirt over his head, his hair still sticking up in all directions, he looked like he’d barely slept, and he blinked in surprise at Stiles standing in front of him before he blushed slightly.

“Um, hi?” He muttered in surprise. 

“Hey, so, look, Malia just said something kind of weird…” Stiles said, trailing off when Lydia stepped out of the bedroom, also looking like she’d been awake half the night, Stiles froze, looking between the two of them in surprise for a few moments before it clicked into place. Stiles felt the hurt wash over him afresh, as if he was still standing in the loft that morning ‘…It would have happened with whoever was here at the time, Isaac or Kira or Lydia, you were just here…’ Derek glaring at him with hatred, with disgust. “Sorry, sorry…I should have…I’ve got to go.” Stiles said, turning back towards the stairs, feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet. 

Derek saw Stiles look between Lydia and himself, saw the realisation wash over him and smelled the sudden overwhelming pain and humiliation sweep through Stiles who was already muttering an apology and turning away from them.

“No, no, Stiles, wait.” Derek said, grabbing on to Stiles’ arm and stopping him in his tracks, “Wait, it’s not what you think…” 

“It’s cool, you don’t have to explain anything to me, I just, um, I have to…”

“No, just wait, please, let me explain…” Derek pleaded, “Lydia was upset, she called Jackson and he wouldn’t stop talking about you and he told her that he’s been using her to get information on the pack…” 

“What!?” Stiles said in shock, looking at Lydia who was staring at the floor in shame, “Lyds, what did he say? What words exactly?” 

“I asked him why he wasn’t asking how I was? Why he kept talking about you? He said, um, he said that he didn’t care about me, that he didn’t ask how I was because he didn’t care.” Lydia mumbled, sounding like she was on the verge of tears again and Derek reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. 

“That little fucker.” Stiles cursed, turning on his heel and storming downstairs. 

“Stiles? Stiles? Where are you going?” Derek called loudly, moving after him, of all the things he’d expected Stiles to say or do it wasn’t that. Lydia and Derek both followed after Stiles, the others coming from the kitchen or appearing from their bedrooms and all following Stiles into the hallway where he was staring at the full-length mirror on the back wall. 

“Um, Stiles? What are you doing?” Scott asked in befuddlement, thinking that perhaps his friend really had lost his mind this time. 

“Jackson loves you Lydia, he loves you. I know that. He told me so himself. Which means that little bastard is controlling him after I warned him what I’d do to him.” Stiles growled angrily. 

“Controlling him? Who? Jackson? Somebody is controlling him?” Lydia asked in surprise sounding hopeful.

“His Alpha, Jake, you remember he was getting Jackson to ask you about me?” Stiles asked and Derek rolled his eyes, as if any of them could ever forget. “Yeah, well, anyway, he quietened down after a visit from the council and then you know I went on assignment a few weeks back, to England, well, more specifically, London, to see Jake, because he was making a few enquiries about me again, so, I thought I’d show him exactly what he was up against and he agreed to stop misbehaving if I let him live, which I did, but he’s obviously not stopped, not if he’s started using Jackson like this. I told Jackson he should leave, that you wouldn’t mind him coming back to Beacon Hills, but, he didn’t believe me.” Stiles explained.

“Hang on, you went to meet with the Alpha who wanted to make you like his new toy or something!?” Cora snapped in disbelief.

“Actually, he wanted to make me his mate, I declined, politely of course, told him to behave or I’d be back and I wouldn’t be so polite next time and he agreed it would be best if he forgot the whole idea.” Stiles replied and there were several growls around the room which Stiles chose to ignore. “Now, can you all shut up and let me concentrate please.” Stiles said and everyone went silent, wondering what it was that Stiles was going to do.

Stiles closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out to press his fingertips to the mirror in front of him, they all stared in amazement as their reflections vanished and instead a small bedroom came into view, Jackson was pacing across the room in agitation, biting at his fingernails and looking like he was in genuine pain.

“Jackson!?” Lydia cried out in worry and Jackson turned to look at them, his mouth dropping open in astonishment before he practically ran to the mirror, his eyes raking over Lydia, checking she was okay, uninjured, Stiles did his best not to roll his eyes at them, it wasn’t their fault they were young and in love.

“Stiles?” Jackson said sounding pained and Stiles grinned. 

“Hey buddy, want to call that Alpha of yours in so I can have a word with him?” Stiles said and Jackson nodded quickly, calling out Jake’s name, telling him that Stiles wanted to speak to him, they all watched as the Alpha entered the room, he was about Peter’s age, tall with light brown hair and bright blue eyes, he could have probably been handsome if he wasn’t looking at Jackson with such contempt, as if he was nothing more than shit on his shoe, and Jackson, god, the fight was all gone from him, he averted his gaze, staring at the floor and pointing towards the mirror in explanation. Jake’s mouth dropped open almost comically wide for just a moment before he smirked and strode towards the mirror. 

“Stiles, how lovely to see you again.” Jake smiled. “I had been hoping you’d come back to visit me again.” 

“You see, I’m pretty sure I explained to you that if I had to come see you again I’d been leaving with your head in a bag, but, I don’t know, maybe you’re into death threats.” Stiles replied coldly and the pack all glanced at him, they were letting Stiles take the lead on this, but it didn’t stop Derek worrying that Stiles was going to get himself into trouble.

“It’s not the death threats that arouse me, it’s the whole package, the looks, the brains and, not to mention, of course, the magic of a true spark.” Jake replied evenly and Derek growled at him dangerously, flashing his eyes at the challenge for his mate. “Huh, so this is the great Derek Hale is it? Jackson’s told me so much about you.” Jake said, pulling Jackson to his side and putting an arm around his shoulder, squeezing tightly and Jackson whimpered in pain, “Not that he’s wanted to of course, but, you know, it’s impossible to resist the orders of your Alpha.” 

“Forcing him into submission isn’t the right way to unite a pack.” Derek snarled.

“Really? From what I hear that’s almost exactly what you did when you first started out.” Jake remarked. 

“I’ve changed.” Derek growled, “Jackson is welcome to come back to Beacon Hills whenever he wants, we’d be happy to have him here.” Derek said and Jackson looked up at him hopefully.

“Except he’s my beta and I’m not going to let him go anywhere.” Jake smirked. “Now, Stiles, perhaps we could reach some kind of agreement, maybe you’d be willing to make a trade?”

“What kind of trade?” Lydia asked while Stiles looked at Jake suspiciously. 

“I was thinking Jackson for Stiles? What do you think Stiles? It’s obvious that you care about what happens to him. So, you come to me and I let Jackson leave, you don’t, and I make the rest of his life a living hell.” 

“No.” Derek snarled and everyone looked at him, Lydia looking to be on the verge of tears, “You’ll let Jackson leave or I’ll come there and tear your throat out.” He threatened.

“You think you can kill me before I can kill him? That’s very foolish of you.” Jake remarked, his claws digging into the soft skin of Jackson’s neck just slightly, “How long would a flight take you again? I mean, I’m pretty certain that it won’t take me thirteen hours to dig my claws in just a little deeper.” 

“No, stop, don’t hurt him!” Lydia pleaded, looking to Stiles desperately, needing him to do something, to save Jackson, then looking to Derek and wanting him to do the same thing, they couldn’t let Jackson die. 

“You shouldn’t be so foolish as to wear your heart on your sleeve Stiles, I knew the moment I saw the two of you together that you care about him, that you care if he lives or dies, you’ve allowed this to happen, allowed yourself to be exploited because you’ve shown me your weakness, but, don’t worry, once you’re my mate I will make sure that you never show weakness again.” Jake taunted, releasing Jackson and gesturing to the room around him, “Of course, I’ll have to beat that out of you first, the room I have ready for you isn’t nearly as nice as this one, but, as soon as you submit to me I’ll let you out, we’ll have to keep you chained to begin with, until I know that you won’t use your magic against me, but, I’m sure I’ll bring you around to my way of thinking eventually.”

“And what way of thinking is that? Complete and utter insanity?” Stiles remarked sarcastically and Jake laughed. 

“Such a mouth on you, don’t worry, I’ll put that to good use too. Now, what are you going to do? Are you willing to make the trade? Save Jackson, let him go home to the girl he loves, or are you going to let me kill him just in order to protect yourself?” 

“Stiles, don’t do it.” Peter whispered and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“You know, I think I’m going to go with option three.” Stiles said, closing his eyes for a second and when they opened they were shining a gold so bright none of them could look at him without covering their eyes, Stiles reached forwards, through the mirror and grabbed onto Jackson’s shoulder, he pulled with everything he had, all the magic he had in him, all the strength and determination and belief he possessed, this would work, Jackson would be safe, he unleashed his magic, felt it swirling in the air around him as he pulled Jackson back through the mirror and into the Hale house. 

Stiles locked his knees to keep his legs from buckling, his vision blacking out for a second but knowing he couldn’t show weakness in front of Jake, not if he wanted to win this. He blinked, allowing his eyes to adjust, Lydia was on the floor clutching Jackson who was staring at Stiles in complete shock, as were the rest of the pack, Jake was staring at Stiles through the mirror, his mouth hanging open in complete disbelief.

“You best start running because I’m coming for you.” Stiles snarled dangerously, clicking his fingers to stop the spell, Jake’s horrified features vanishing from the mirror and their own reflections looking back at them. Stiles’ legs buckled and he felt someone catch him but he couldn’t say who it was. Stiles felt his heart slowing, it was too much magic, he’d done too much, he should have never pulled Jackson back through the mirror, but, it had been the only way to save him, if he’d had time then maybe he could have come up with another plan, but, Jake had been going to kill him and Stiles knew there was no way around it, at least Jackson was safe, at least he was alive.

“Batman!” Erica cried out in fear, rushing towards him and grabbing him tightly, “What the hell have you done!? What have you done you idiot!?” She shouted, pulling him into a kiss and pressing her lips against his own, Stiles felt like Erica was trying to shove her own energy into him, but, it wasn’t going to work, he was too weak, he needed too much energy, he would kill her if he tried to take any. “Don’t fight me on this Mica, please, please, you have to take it.” Erica said, sounding like she was sobbing, Stiles tried to reassure her, tried to tell her it was okay, that the pack was going to be fine, but he couldn’t get the words out, he was too weak and everything went black. 

The pack had moved forward as one as Stiles collapsed, Derek caught him before he hit the floor but they all heard his heart slowing, they didn’t know what had happened, what had caused Stiles to react like this, Derek could only assume it was an overuse of magic if the way Erica reacted was anything to go by, but, still, Stiles was dying, it was clear for them all to hear in the way his heartbeat had slowed. Erica was already pulling her clothes off and the instant Stiles passed out she took off his, with Boyd’s assistance, as best she could with Derek still holding on to him, she kissed him, touching as much of his body as she could before the red lines appeared on her skin wherever they touched. Boyd pulled her away when she collapsed unconscious, but it was obvious it hadn’t been enough, Stiles’ heart was too weak, Derek moved, trying to get his own clothes off to help but Cora was already there, and, when she too passed out, Isaac jumped in, then Scott, Boyd, Peter, Malia, Kira, Allison and finally Lydia, Jackson was staring at them all like they’d lost their minds, watching as they all kissed Stiles, held the kiss until they passed out and the next person pulled them off Stiles before continuing the kiss. 

Derek looked around at his pack, they were all unconscious, lying on the floor in the middle of the hallway, Stiles was cradled in his arms, too still, too pale, and although his heart hadn’t stopped it was still too slow and too weak for Derek’s liking. He lowered Stiles to the ground, shifting out from under him and pulling off his own clothes. 

“Don’t pull me off.” He growled to Jackson who just stared at him like he’d lost his mind, “I mean it, when I pass out, make sure I stay in contact with him, let him take as much energy as he needs, understand?” 

“Yeah.” Jackson whispered in shock, watching as Derek climbed on top of Stiles and started to kiss him, his lips had barely touched Stiles’ when he felt a shock pass through him, like an electrical current that made his entire body tingle with almost pleasure even as he felt his energy being sucked from him. His vision started to waver and he felt himself getting weaker but he didn’t pull away, Stiles needed his energy much more than Derek did, he’d give Stiles everything he had if it meant that he was alive, no matter what happened to Derek. 

Stiles felt lips against his own, felt the energy being pulled from whoever it was, he stopped it immediately, terrified of taking too much, of killing them. He blinked his eyes open, surprised to see Derek straddling him, kissing him, he pulled away, breaking the contact and Derek opened his eyes, stilling when he realised Stiles was awake, blinking at him blearily.

“Are you okay?” Derek asked, slurring his words slightly. 

“Yeah.” Stiles replied, sitting up slowly and looking around, Derek was still sat on his lap and Stiles looked at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow and waiting until Derek climbed off him blushing slightly. Stiles ignored the way his head was pounding, instead looking at the carnage that he had caused, the pack were all starting to stir, looking around in panic until their eyes locked onto Stiles’ and then relaxed instantly. 

“You’re alive, you’re okay, Mica, you’re alright.” Erica said, climbing into his lap and snuggling close, Stiles held onto her, his arms going around her, he felt too weak to hold her properly but he hoped she understood he was trying. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Peter asked, looking at him in concern and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, a bit light-headed, but, I’m okay.” Stiles said, still holding onto Erica as she clutched at him. 

“Come on, you should rest, Erica, get off him, he needs to sleep.” Scott said, pulling Erica off Stiles and handing her to Boyd as gently as possible and then holding out a hand for Stiles who accepted it, leaning on Scott when he was upright in order to keep himself steady. He was still dizzy, still needed to sleep for a week it felt like, but, at least he was alive. “Come on, over here.” Scott led him towards the nearest sofa and Stiles fell into it, already asleep before his head hit the pillow, Scott crawled onto the sofa next to him, making sure they had as much skin-on-skin contact as possible, knowing Stiles would heal faster like this, not really surprised when everyone else climbed onto the sofa around them too. 

“Um, what happened to him? What was that?” Jackson asked, standing nervously next to the sofa until Lydia pulled him down to the floor next to her and rested his hand on Stiles’ bare arm. 

“Stiles turned the mirror into a portal and he pulled you through, he used too much magic, he should never have done something so reckless, so goddamn stupid, it could have killed him.” Erica explained. 

“But Theo said, he said nobody can pull living things through a portal, and that the further the distance, the more magic it drained, and, Stiles, when he and Derek went after Don, that was only a mile and the two of them and it nearly killed him.” Allison said in shock. 

“Yeah, he’s right, nobody should be able to do that, but, Stiles isn’t nobody, like I said, he’s powerful.” 

“Jake called him a spark, is that different to a normal caster or something?” Jackson asked. 

“Hey, Martin called him a spark too, what does that mean?” Kira added, all of them looking to Erica for an explanation.

“It’s a type of caster, but, it’s, they are, Stiles can do anything he sets his mind to, if he believes enough, I mean, obviously, it takes magic, but, he has a lot of it, like, a boatload of it, because, nobody, and I mean this as in like, nobody ever, has survived pulling somebody through a portal without it being another caster, like, the two of them working together, and even then, it wasn’t anywhere near as long distance as that. So, you know, he has a massive amount of power, but, it stems from his belief, if he believes he can do it, he can.” Erica explained wearily. 

“Why didn’t he tell us this? That he’s a spark?” Peter asked in confusion. 

“The council told him not to.” Erica informed them, “Once they realised that he wasn’t a caster, that he was a spark, they told him he couldn’t tell anyone, that it was life and death, because, sparks are really, incredibly rare, and their magic is unlimited, it’ll grow as Stiles grows, the more he uses, the more power he gains, and, the more people that know what he is, the more danger he’s in. They told him not to tell anyone, he told his dad and I, and then he swore us to secrecy, as far as we knew, nobody outside us and the council knew Stiles was a spark, except, obviously, somebody must, otherwise Martin and Jake wouldn’t have called him a spark.”

“So, why doesn’t he heal himself? I mean, if it just goes on belief, then, surely, he can just, believe he can heal himself?” Scott mumbled in confusion.

“Spark magic is used to make a difference to others, not themselves, they can do impossible things for others, but, for themselves? They can’t use magic to benefit themselves, that’s supposed to be a rule all casters have, and I know at least some of them break it, especially those that are involved in dark magic, but, Stiles refuses to, he won’t use his magic to help himself, and, the energy thing, the draining it from others, it’s like, it’s his magic helping him because he refuses to help himself, if that makes sense.” Erica explained, yawning slightly. “I know, it kind of doesn’t, Stiles explains it better and I’m tired.” 

“We’re all tired.” Malia mumbled, “We should sleep, rest, we can deal with what an idiot Stiles is when we’re not all as exhausted.” 

“I agree.” Isaac said, snuggling closer to Cora but keeping his hand on Stiles’ leg.

Stiles woke up to body heat surrounding him, he blinked blearily a few times until everyone came into focus, they were all looking at him with annoyed expressions and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were all annoyed at him. 

“Morning?” He said sheepishly, glancing outside, the sun was low in the sky, he’d obviously slept almost the whole day, “Or evening might be more accurate?” He added.

“You are an idiot.” Erica scolded and Stiles shrugged. 

“Yep.” He said, grinning at Jackson, “Hey buddy, glad you’re back, are you settling in okay?” 

“I’m fine, thanks for, you know, saving my life, and threatening Jake and everything.” Jackson muttered, blushing slightly. 

“No worries, I wasn’t going to let him kill you.” Stiles replied, sitting up slightly and wincing as his head pounded. 

“So, I’m, um, it’s, you’re okay with me being back in Beacon Hills? Back around the pack?” Jackson said looking at Derek. 

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine Jackson. I should have never driven you away in the first place, you’re pack Jackson, even if you did join Jake, I’m the one that bit you, turned you, and you will always be my beta.” Derek said, “Plus, Lydia cares for you, and she’s pack too, we’re all happy that you’re home.” 

Stiles got to his feet, brushing off the hands that were still touching him as he made his way into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water and gulping it down gratefully, turning on his heel and finding Derek standing in the doorway looking at him with worry. Stiles tried to forget about the fact that Derek and Lydia had slept together last night, tried not to think about the way that they’d both decided to blow off some steam, that Lydia had been upset and Derek, well, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of her, he knew Derek well enough to know he wouldn’t have done that, but, still, they’d had sex and now Stiles had stopped it from happening again in the future. 

“Sorry about cock blocking you, I mean, that wasn’t my intention, just you know, it happened, I just wanted to stop Jake from hurting Jackson, and, you never know, Jackson might not mind sharing, I mean your pack are always offering threesomes to me so I’m sure Jackson and Lydia might be willing to offer or something, for when you need to blow off some steam or whatever.” Stiles rambled, feeling mortified, he wished he could just shut up, “Anyway, I need to write a debrief on the whole, dragging Jackson through a portal half way across the world kind of thing, can I borrow a laptop? Mine’s at home and I can’t really be bothered to go back home to get it.” 

“You can borrow mine.” Derek said, indicating where his was sat on a table in the living room, “Stiles, just, can I just explain about Lydia and…” 

“It’s cool Derek, whatever is going on between the two of you, you don’t need to justify it to me or whatever, what you do in your personal life is your business not mine.” Stiles said, brushing past Derek and picking up the laptop, ignoring the looks of confusion that the pack were shooting the two of them, instead opening the laptop and quickly drafting an email, explaining what had happened, how Jake had threatened Jackson, how Stiles had pulled him through the portal, how he’d told Jake that he was coming for him next before he’d passed out. He was aware of the rest of the pack hovering around, aware of his dad and Melissa arriving and his dad checking him over, grumbling that Stiles needed to be more careful in the future as Stiles continued his email. 

“And the rest of you are all okay?” Noah asked, looking around at the rest of the pack, checking them over, relieved to see that they were all uninjured, studying Jackson for a few minutes, the young man blushing slightly under Noah’s scrutiny before Noah nodded and pulled him into a hug. “It’s good to have you back Jackson. I know everyone has missed you being here.” 

“Thank you, sir. I’ve missed you all too.” Jackson replied. Stiles sent the email and was about to close the computer down when a file on the desktop caught his attention.

“What’s this?” He mumbled under his breath, why the hell was there a file on Derek’s laptop that had Stiles’ name on it? He clicked open the folder, surprised when there were hundreds of documents in there, all with different dates on that spanned back over the past few years, he clicked on the oldest one, knowing he was invading Derek’s privacy, but, still, the folder literally had his name on it. 

“What’s what?” Scott asked distractedly, still half listening to Noah and Jackson talking. Stiles stared at the document in front of him, his mind racing, how could…what? He must be reading it wrong, none of this made any sense. 

“Derek, what the hell is this!?” Stiles said, looking at Derek in confusion that was rapidly turning into anger, Derek looked at Stiles, then at the laptop in front of him and his eyes went wide, all the colour drained from his face and he looked terrified, completely and utterly terrified, it answered everything for Stiles, “’Stiles, I never wanted to hurt you, but, I had to. It’s not safe for you to be around us, you’re too breakable, of course you are pack, but, it’s better, safer for you to think you’re not. I know I hurt you, but, it was the best thing, to keep you safe. It’s too dangerous for you to be close to any of us.’” Stiles read, “You lied to me!? You lied about…you said I wasn’t pack, but I was?” He asked in disbelief. 

“Stiles, I can explain…” Derek began, the rest of the pack looking on, the realisation washing over all of them, Stiles knew, he knew that Derek had lied. 

“I think we should probably give you guys some space…” Noah muttered and Stiles looked at him, staring at him in betrayal. 

“You knew?” He muttered, his voice cracking in hurt, “You knew he lied?” Stiles looked around at the rest of the pack who were all staring at the ground in shame, “You all knew?” 

“Mica, let us explain…” Erica began. 

“Let you explain!?” Stiles said angrily, “What is this? Was I honestly that pathetic that you thought you couldn’t even be in the same room as me without me dying? Did you really think I was that weak? I mean, I knew I wasn’t good enough to be pack, I’m not anything special, I know that, but, I thought it didn’t matter to you guys, and then Derek, he said I wasn’t pack, and I believed him, because honestly, why would you want me to be pack? Why would any of you want me hanging around? I nearly got you guys killed a hundred times and I couldn’t protect you and I let you down all the time, so it made sense. Except, now I find out that he was lying, that I was always pack to you? Erica, you knew, you fucking knew what I was going through to try and prove I wasn’t a complete and utter liability, and you still didn’t tell me that I was already pack. Why not? Have I still not proven myself to you!? Or was it just kind of sick joke to you? Did you have a good laugh about all the shit I put myself through?”

“No, Mica, no. It wasn’t like that…” Erica tried. 

“So WHY!? You still didn’t tell me, even now, why? Have I not proved myself to you yet? Am I still not good enough for you guys to want me? Or do you still think you need to protect me? After everything I’ve done, you still think it’s better for me to believe I’m not pack, that I’m not good enough, that it’s better that way than risking putting me in danger? That makes no sense! You know what I’ve done! You know the dangers I’ve faced! And you’d still rather I was alone, away from you, not part of the pack. It’s obvious, it’s so fucking obvious, I’m such an idiot for ever believing I could prove myself to you guys, for thinking I could ever be good enough, I never will be, that’s nothing to do with it. You just don’t want me around, you never did.” Stiles said looking heartbroken.

“Stiles, look…” Noah said, approaching him slowly except Stiles backed out of his reach, tears in his eyes, staring at his father like he’d never seen him before. 

“What? Look at what? I’ve spent the past three years thinking that I didn’t deserve to be pack, because why would you want me? Why would anybody want someone who was so stupid that he managed to get himself possessed by a demon? Why would any of you want me around when I nearly killed you? I wanted to be someone that you could all be proud of, that you would actually want to be in your pack and instead, instead I find out that I was pack and that you lied to me? That you all lied to me? And you still hadn’t told me the truth because I still haven’t proved myself to you? Were you ever going to tell me? Were you ever going to let me know the truth? How much more do I have to do to show you I’m worthy of being part of the pack?” Stiles said, sounding like he was in physical pain. 

“Stiles you have to understand, I didn’t want to lie to you…” Derek began.

“Oh no, no, I know that, you said that right here Derek! I get it, you didn’t want to lie to me, it was important that I was safe, blah blah blah. Really Derek? It was more important that I was safe than it was that I actually felt like I was part of something? That I was happy? That I didn’t feel like you all hated me for getting fucking possessed!? Jesus fucking Christ! You thought that I was that pathetic, that weak, that much of a liability that it was better to make sure I thought I wasn’t even pack than to allow me to be part of it!?” 

“No, no, that’s not what it was!” Derek said urgently.

“And I’m supposed to believe you!?” Stiles said hysterically, “You lied to me! All this time, all this time, I’ve said it wasn’t your fault, you’re a good guy, I was the one who misunderstood, I was the one who thought I was actually pack, thought I mattered to you all, you just corrected me, you were put in a shitty situation and yeah it hurt, but at least I knew where I stood, all this time I’ve said that, and, I was wrong! You lied to me! You hurt me on purpose! You pushed me out of the pack on purpose! Because you didn’t want me around! And, you, you all knew about it! What? Did you have a good laugh at me? ‘Look at pathetic Stiles, trying to make himself powerful enough that he can actually be pack. Oh, how about we wait until Stiles is strong enough to protect himself and then we’ll tell him he’s pack, make him realise how pathetic he was before, it’ll be so much fun. We can all have a good laugh about how pathetic he was.’ Well, congratulations, it worked! I knew what a fucking liability I was! I knew it every single day when I had to try and out-think whatever we went up against because there was no way I could out-fight it or out-run it or anything else because I was that weak, I knew that! I just didn’t think it mattered to all of you that much! I thought you cared about me! I thought we were friends even if we weren’t pack, but, no, it turns out, I’m pack, but you don’t actually give a shit about me until there’s something I can do for you.” Stiles said, shaking his head in disbelief, unable to process this betrayal.

“Mica, no, it wasn’t like that, you do matter to us, Derek wanted you to be safe, that’s all, he didn’t want you to die, he was trying to protect you…” Erica said, tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks, a hand reaching out for Stiles who pulled away from her, backing away towards the door. 

“Right, and of course you couldn’t just tell me that! Not one of you called me and said, ‘hey Stiles, Derek’s an idiot, but of course you are pack, he’s just lying to you because you’re weak and a liability and can’t be trusted to actually survive by yourself.’ No. Not one of you told me. You all lied to me and you expect me to believe you now? Just, stay the hell away from me, all of you.” Stiles said, turning on his heel and heading for the door. 

“Stiles! Wait!” Derek called, reaching out to grab his hand when he was thrown backwards by Stiles’ magic and he hit the ground hard. 

“You wanted me to be strong enough to deserve to be pack, well I’m strong enough now, but I don’t know that I want anything to do with people who would lie to me and hurt me just for the fun of it! Just leave me alone, just stay the fuck away from me.” Stiles said, hurt emitting from him so blatantly that it stank out the entire room and it made Derek’s heart shatter into a million pieces, he’d hurt Stiles, hurt him all over again, this was on him, this was all his fault, he should have been honest with him, he should have never have lied to him, and now, Stiles was hurting and he blamed Derek and the pack and it wasn’t their fault, it was his, all his. 

“Stiles, please…” Derek pleaded, trying to get back to his feet when he was knocked down by another blast of magic, by the time he had scrambled back to his feet Stiles was gone and the rest of the pack were staring at the closed door in horror, Derek went to go after him and was stopped by Noah’s hand on his arm. 

“He needs space Derek, he needs time to process this. Just, give him a bit of time. He’ll calm down soon enough and then he’ll talk to us.” 

“No, no, I need to fix this now, he thinks I pushed him away because he was a liability, but I didn’t, I pushed him away because I needed him to be safe.” Derek said, moving towards the door again.

“And you can explain that to him, once he’s calmed down. Right now, we need to give him space, like he asked. Respect his wishes. Please.” Noah said and Derek hesitated before nodding looking around at his pack that all looked distraught at what had just happened, Erica looked devastated, it looked like her legs had given out and she was on the floor, Boyd clutching tightly to her as she sobbed brokenly into his shoulder. This was all his fault. He should have never lied to Stiles in the first place. 

Erica got a text from Stiles in the middle of the night, none of them had slept, all of them were too wrapped up in their own thoughts, they’d gathered in the living room, Noah and Melissa had stayed rather than go to their own home, reassuring them all that Stiles would be fine once he’d had a chance to calm down. Lydia felt awful because this was all her fault, she knew Stiles had misunderstood what had happened between her and Derek and instead of correcting him she’d been too wrapped up in the fact Jackson was home, that he was here and he was safe. 

“What has he said?” Noah muttered once Erica had read the text and she’d frowned at her phone in worry. 

“He said the council have ordered him out on assignment, he should be back in about a week and we’ll talk then, until then he wants me to leave him alone, he needs some space to sort his head out.” She mumbled. “He says he’s heading to Peru so, I guess, at least he’s still telling me that.” She muttered, sounding like she was about to burst into tears again. “We broke his heart. We should have told him the truth.” She said, looking at Derek who nodded in agreement, this was his fault, he’d hurt Stiles once before and he hadn’t been brave enough to fix his mistake and now he’d hurt him far worse, making Stiles think that not only had Derek betrayed him but so had all the people he considered his friends. He would fix this. As soon as Stiles was home he was going to explain to him that he’d ordered the pack to keep the truth from him, that he’d wanted Stiles safe, wanted him protected and happy, that he’d known Stiles couldn’t have that if they’d been together. 

The next week was probably the hardest of everyone’s lives, they all agreed to do what Stiles wanted and to leave him alone to figure things out, instead they carried on with their normal lives, work, college, homework, pack runs, all the things that were always present in their lives, even though the emptiness they all felt at Stiles not being there was obvious. After a week Derek started running past the cottage every night, waiting to see Stiles’ car parked outside, knowing that he’d then be able to explain everything to him, if Stiles would just give him the chance. 

After two weeks with no contact from Stiles, Noah agreed to call him, knowing that Stiles would possibly still be on assignment but hoping he’d had enough time to calm down, to think things through, except, Stiles didn’t answer his phone, well, that wasn’t true, the call didn’t even connect, like the phone was turned off which they all knew was unusual for Stiles. They tried again the next day and the phone was still unavailable, they tried every evening for the next week, their worry increasing every time that the phone didn’t connect and Stiles didn’t make contact and didn’t return home. 

By the fifth week they were all terrified, Stiles should have been back, he should have been home, Noah’s only reassurance was that the council hadn’t been in touch to say that Stiles’ body had been found, it told him that Stiles was still alive, whatever was happening, he was still alive, he began to dread every time the phone rang, not knowing if he should be hopeful it was Stiles or fearful it was the council. They began staying at the cottage, wanting to be there the instant Stiles returned home, if he came back, nobody had said it yet, but Derek knew everyone was thinking it, Stiles was supposed to be gone a week, he’d been gone nearly six and none of them had heard a single word from him. Derek knew Stiles had been mad, but he also knew that Stiles would never purposefully make his dad and Erica worry like this, he was sure something bad had happened, he just didn’t know how to help. 

“Deaton told me the council have been attacked!” Scott said, bursting into the small cottage and looking at them in panic.

“What!?” Derek asked, he wasn’t sure if they could trust a word Deaton said, not since it was his fault Stiles hadn’t known how to use his magic, he tried not to panic, but, if it was true, Stiles could have been hurt. 

“Deaton said he got a call from a friend, there’s rumours going around, apparently the council headquarters was attacked, some kind of explosion or something, it’s been destroyed and a load of them died, mainly those high up the chain of command.” Scott explained, sounding close to tears the entire time.

“Does he know what attacked them? Or where it’s based? Other than Virginia of course?” Lydia asked while Noah looked like his world was crumbling. 

“No, nobody knows, and, it might not be true, it could all be bullshit, but, Stiles wasn’t there, he was in Peru, he’ll be fine, probably on his way to Virginia now to beat the shit out of whatever attacked them.” Scott said trying to sound optimistic even as his voice waivered.

“We should go to Virginia, see if we can do something to help.” Derek said, moving towards the front door. 

“We don’t know where the headquarters are based, Stiles never told us that, it’s hidden, like this place is, unless someone tells us, we’ll never be able to find it.” Erica said, sounding pained. “God, no, Scott’s right, Stiles was in Peru. He’ll be fine, he’s alive, he has to be alive, right?” She whispered sounding like she was on the verge of falling apart, “He can’t be dead, not when I didn’t get a chance to tell him how sorry I am, not when he thought we’d all been laughing at him, making fun of him, that this was all some fucked up joke. He needs to know that’s not the truth which means he can’t be dead.” 

“Erica…” Boyd said sympathetically, knowing his girlfriend was on the verge of crumbling right in front of his eyes. 

“No, no, he can’t be. Stiles will be fine. He’s always fine. He’s alive. I know he is.” Erica said in determination. 

“How will we know?” Noah muttered tearfully, “If the council are dead, destroyed, whatever, how will we know if something happened to him? There’s no way for us to contact them. What if he died and they never got around to telling us? I mean, something has to have gone wrong, I know he was mad at us and I’d understand if he never wanted to speak to us again, but, even if he was sent on another assignment, even if he decided not to take the job here and go back on field work, he would have told us, he wouldn’t let us worry like this, he’d know we’d be terrified something had happened, which means something awful has to have happened, he would have called us otherwise. What if my boy is dead in a ditch somewhere and we’ll never know?” Noah said, tears spilling down his cheeks. 

“No. No, Noah, he’ll be okay. You know he will be. This is Stiles. He’s powerful! He’s strong! He’s capable of doing anything he believes he can. He will be fine. I know he will be.” Melissa said confidently, looking around at the rest of the pack even as she clutched tightly to Noah’s hand, “Stiles is going to be fine. I know he is. The rest of you need to believe it too. Don’t give up on him. He will be fine.” 

“He’ll be fine. He’ll come home and he’ll make some lame ass joke about worry-wolves and then he’ll pass out for a few hours because you know he won’t have slept and then we can fix this, we will get the chance to fix this.” Scott said in determination, “I mean, if Stiles can get things to work on belief alone, then, we can too, right? We just have to believe that he’s coming home. We have to have faith.” 

“Stiles has magic! Stiles can get things to work on belief because he has magic! We don’t! We have no power! We don’t even know where he is. He could be in Peru. He could have been at headquarters. He could have been sent on another assignment, he could be undercover, he could be any number of things and there is nothing we can do about it, absolutely nothing!” Erica shouted angrily. 

“We can hope.” Peter said reasonably, “Right now, it’s all we can do. Hope and believe Stiles will find his way back to us, alive and well.” 

“And if you’re wrong? How long do we wait?” Isaac asked clinging to Kira and Cora who both looked to be on the verge of tears. 

“We wait as long as it takes. We don’t give up on him. Not ever.” Lydia said in determination, “Stiles has never given up on us, we’re not going to give up on him.” 

They spent the night in a pile on their bed upstairs, Melissa and Noah taking Stiles’ bed, there were plenty of tears shed, all of them feeling helpless, knowing that Stiles could be in danger or worse and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

Derek woke to the sound of keys jingling in the lock downstairs, he blinked blearily a few times, trying to figure out who was downstairs before he registered the heartbeat and relief flooded through him so strongly that he thought he was going to pass out. He shoved at the bodies that were piled on top of him, not caring when they woke up, stumbling out of the bedroom and down the stairs in sheer desperation and relief. 

“Stiles!” He called out in greeting before he’d even made it to the kitchen where his heartbeat now was. 

“Jesus fucking Christ!” He heard Stiles curse in shock at the same time as a glass smashed on the kitchen floor, he rounded the doorway, taking in the bottle of whiskey on the table and the glass that was now shattered on the floor and then he saw Stiles. 

“Fuck! What happened!? Are you alright!?” Derek said, rushing towards him, Stiles had been beaten, severely, his face was black and blue, several cuts on his cheeks, another on his eyebrow, his lip was split open, there was more bruising and cuts on his neck and several of his fingers looked broken, the stench of blood made Derek think there was more damage hiding under his clothes, but, it was worse than that, Stiles was thinner than he had been when he left with dark bags under his eyes, he looked like he’d been tortured, starved, beaten and broken.

“Derek?” Peter called out, stilling when he saw Stiles, “You’re home! I knew you’d be okay! What the fuck happened to you!? No, no, it’s not important, here, take some energy, heal.” Peter said, stepping towards Stiles who took a step away from him, wincing slightly with pain. 

“I don’t want anything from you.” Stiles replied, sounding breathless and in pain and it set Derek’s nerves on edge. The rest of the pack practically skidded to a stop as they raced into the kitchen, seeing Stiles in front of them, looking like he was about to collapse, like sheer exhaustion was overwhelming him, and, yet, still, he was on guard, ready to protect himself from the pack and that was the thing that broke Derek’s heart, Stiles thinking he needed to defend himself from the people who cared about him the most. 

“Mica?” Erica whispered, sounding like she was about to fall apart, looking at Stiles like her heart was shattering in her chest, “What happened to you? What did they do to you?” Erica took a step forward and Stiles stepped away, hitting the counter behind him and wincing, “I’m sorry, batman, I’m so fucking sorry, just, please, please trust me, let me help you.” 

“No, just, just stay away from me.” Stiles muttered, looking like he was going to be sick and Erica stilled in her tracks. 

“What happened Mica? Where have you been?” Erica whispered and Stiles clenched his fists so they wouldn’t notice the shaking in his fingers that hadn’t stopped in days. 

“I need to sleep.” He replied quietly just as his dad stumbled into the kitchen doorway, looking at Stiles with wide eyes, moving forward as if in a trance, his eyes filling with tears of joy because his son was home, he was home, he was hurt but he was home. “Don’t.” Stiles said when Noah reached out to touch him and Noah felt his heart shattering, “Don’t touch me, it’s not, it’s not safe.” Stiles confessed and Noah stared at him for a moment, trying to work up the courage to touch his son and stilling when Stiles flinched at the smallest movement.

“I love you. I love you so much Stiles. I love you. I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me, please, just, okay, let’s get you sorted out, okay, you need to heal, you need to get better and then we can talk.” Noah rambled, looking at his son who seemed to be closing off from him, refusing to look at him. 

“Here.” Lydia said bracing herself, moving forwards, ignoring the way Stiles backed away from her and kissed him, Stiles pushed her away instantly, his eyes scrunched closed in tension and his whole body almost trembling, “Stiles, you need energy, take some of mine.” 

“No.” Stiles growled, “Just, stay away from me, all of you need to stay away from me.” He said, backing into the corner of the kitchen, “I want you to leave.” Stiles said and his heart rate gave away his lie. 

“Stiles, it’s okay, whatever happened, we’re here, we’re not going anywhere.” 

“No, you need to leave, you need to get away from me.” Stiles said, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. 

“Stiles, kiddo, talk to me, tell me what happened, where have you been? We’ve been worried about you.” Noah said but Stiles just backed further into the corner, looking like he was about to fall apart, clutching at his side as if his hand could keep him together, and tears on his cheeks. 

“Just, just leave, please, please just get away, please.” Stiles sobbed, sinking to the floor and wrapping his hands around his knees, “Please just stay away from me. I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“Mica, you wouldn’t hurt us.” Erica whispered, crouching down and resting a hand on Stiles’ knee, steeling herself when Stiles flinched away from the contact, “Mica, I don’t know what happened to you but I know you wouldn’t hurt us, wouldn’t hurt me, and, right now, you need help baby, please, please let me help you.” 

“No, no, no, just leave me alone, just get out, please, please just leave.” Stiles whimpered, his voice filled with fear, more than that, it was terror, Stiles was terrified of them touching him, of them being here. Erica backed away, looking at the rest of the pack uncertainly, none of them knew how to deal with this, they’d never seen Stiles like this, he looked terrified, he looked broken. 

“What are we going to do?” Scott whispered horrified. 

“He needs medical attention, there’s blood.” Peter replied and Derek nodded tightly, that much was obvious, Stiles was bleeding under his clothes. 

“If he’ll let me close enough then I can probably deal with some of it.” Melissa suggested before anyone could suggest something stupid like going to the hospital. 

“He looks exhausted, how’s he still awake?” Jackson queried. 

“Maybe we wait until he goes to sleep, then we deal with it?” Malia said. Derek looked at Stiles, he was looking at the floor, the bruising on his face looked awful, he was shaking, trembling in fear or exhaustion or pain, Derek wasn’t sure which, but he was almost certain that Stiles wouldn’t react well to anyone touching him when he was asleep. The pack all stared at him as he moved towards Stiles, lowering himself to the floor in front of Stiles and sitting cross-legged opposite him, far enough away that they weren’t touching, making sure Stiles didn’t panic. 

“Stiles, I don’t know what happened to you these last six weeks, but you’re safe now, nobody is going to hurt you, you’re safe here with us, okay? You don’t want us to touch you, okay, we won’t. Not until you’re ready. But, you have to let us help you, you’re hurt, you’re bleeding, we can all smell it. Let Melissa look at you, patch you up.”

“No, she can’t, she can’t touch me, it’s not safe. I can’t, I don’t want to hurt her.” Stiles said, his voice cracking with pain, tears spilling down his cheeks and terror in his eyes.

“Sweetie, I know you won’t hurt me.” Melissa said quietly. “I know you wouldn’t hurt anyone, besides, so long as I don’t kiss you, I’ll be fine.” She said lightly, aiming for a joke, but Stiles just looked distraught. 

“No, I can’t, I can’t control it, I can’t, they did, they did something to me and I can’t, I don’t know, it’s dangerous to be around me.” He confessed sounding pained. 

“Who did what to you? Stiles, what did they do to you?” Isaac asked with fear in his voice.

“I can’t, please, please, don’t touch me, just stay away from me, please.” Stiles whispered. 

“Okay, Stiles, we’re not going to touch you, we’re not, it’s okay.” Derek reassured him when Stiles seemed to be working himself towards a panic attack. “Just, breathe with me Stiles, you’re okay, you’re home, you’re safe, whoever it was, whoever hurt you, they can’t get to you here, you’re safe.” 

“I can’t, I can’t, it’s not safe, it’s not…” Stiles started, trailing off suddenly as he slipped into unconsciousness. 

“Stiles!? Stiles? Can you hear me?” Derek called out, reaching towards him and hesitating for the briefest second before he touched Stiles’ skin, when nothing happened he sighed in relief, whatever Stiles was worried about, it was at least safe to touch him, “Okay, he’s out of it, let’s see what we’re dealing with.” He said, scooping Stiles into his arms and carrying him into the living room, Melissa asked them to gather whatever first aid supplies they could find while she began stripping Stiles down to his underwear, Derek was draining the pain from Stiles, knowing that whatever had happened to him must have been awful and he was terrified, completely and utterly terrified, of what they were going to find under his clothes. 

“Jesus Christ.” Peter let out a low whistle as he looked at the damage, unable to believe that Stiles had survived the amount of trauma that had been inflicted. His entire body was covered in bruises and cuts, there were burn marks and bite marks, none of them were sure if they were human or werewolf or something else altogether, it looked like some of his tattoos had been removed along with chunks of his skin and there was at least three knife wounds that looked like they’d been stitched shut in the dark, his wrists were torn and bleeding where he’d obviously been handcuffed and there wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t unmarked in one way or another, the entire pack stilled when they saw him. What the hell had happened to Stiles? 

As bad as the damage was, there wasn’t much Melissa could do, she braced herself for Stiles to wake up when she adjusted his fingers, several were just dislocated, the others were broken and she strapped them as solidly as she could, hoping that they would at least mend straight, Stiles didn’t even mumble in protest, he was out of it, completely and utterly. She bandaged some of the worst injuries, cleaning out and re-stitching the knife wounds so that they didn’t look like something out of a horror movie, strapping his ribs that were clearly broken, but, other than that, he was healing, she couldn’t do much else for him. 

“He’s dehydrated and he obviously hasn’t been fed properly either, but, nothing a few weeks of sensible eating shouldn’t fix. I don’t,” She paused, taking a steady breath, this was just another patient, not Stiles, not the boy that was as good as a son to her, “There’s nothing critical, he’s not dying, he’s just exhausted. He needs to heal and rest but he’s going to be okay.” Noah gave her a quick peck on the temple and a reassuring squeeze but his eyes were fixed on Stiles, what had happened to his son? How had Stiles made it back to them without collapsing on route? 

“We should make sure whoever did this to him didn’t follow him here.” Noah said suddenly and the pack instantly went on alert, listening to things that he couldn’t hear. 

“There’s nobody out there.” Derek said a minute later. 

“Stiles wouldn’t have come back here if he thought it wasn’t safe.” Erica said confidently, “If he thought they were coming after him, he wouldn’t come here, it’s too close to his dad, to us, he wouldn’t risk it.” 

“So either he escaped or he was let go.” Lydia said. 

“Or they’re dead.” Scott added, “Personally I hope not so we can kill them ourselves.” 

“I’m pretty sure if they did this to Stiles then we wouldn’t stand a chance.” Jackson commented and everyone looked at him, “What?” He shrugged, “You guys didn’t see him in London when he confronted Jake, he was fucking terrifying. There’s no way I would go up against him in a fight, he’d kick my ass within the first second. If he got hurt, they took him by surprise.” 

“I can’t see there being any other explanation. Otherwise he would have teleported out of there.” Lydia agreed. “But, for now, he needs to heal.” She said, gritting her teeth in determination, “Just in case something really bad does happen, I love you.” She said to Jackson before stripping to her underwear, leaning in and kissing Stiles as delicately as she could. The red lines appeared on her face and where her body touched Stiles’ and less than thirty seconds later she pulled away, looking pale but otherwise okay and everyone let out a sigh of relief. 

“You’re okay?” Jackson asked and Lydia nodded. 

“A little light-headed, but, yeah, I’m okay.” Lydia reassured him. 

“Alright, my turn.” Isaac said, starting to strip his clothes off and climbing on top of Stiles, one by one they all kissed Stiles until they were on the verge of passing out, watching with fascination as his injuries began to heal, as the bruises turned from black and purple to a sickly yellow, as his fingers popped and clicked and his ribs healed, as the bite marks faded from his skin and the colour returned to his skin.


	13. Chapter 13

Stiles woke up when Jackson was the one kissing him, it hadn’t taken much to convince Jackson, he’d almost pushed Malia out of the way to go ahead of her until the woman had growled at him and he’d backed off. Stiles blinked open his eyes, realising somebody had their mouth pressed to his and pushed them away instantly, terrified of what could happen to them, of what he could do.

“Whoa, whoa, Stiles, it’s okay.” Jackson grabbed hold of his wrists, and Stiles stilled slightly, blinking until he realised it was Jackson on top of him. 

“Jackson? What are you…Are you okay? Are you alright?” Stiles asked in panic, checking Jackson over as if expecting him to be injured in some way. 

“I’m fine Stiles, I’m okay, how do you feel?” Jackson asked and Stiles seemed to realise that they weren’t alone in the room, looking around at the rest of the pack and then down at his body.

“You guys did this? You’re okay? You’re all alright?” He said, looking panicked still, as if terrified that they would all be dead. 

“We’re fine Mica, you’re the one we’re worried about.” Erica said, moving next to Stiles and running her fingers through his hair. 

“Jacks, um, any time you want to get off…” Stiles said, looking down pointedly at the fact Jackson was still straddling him and they were both only in their underwear. 

“Right, yeah, sorry.” Jackson said, climbing off him as gingerly as he could, worried about banging any of Stiles’ still healing injuries. “How do you feel? Do you need more energy? I’d barely started when you woke up?” 

“No, no, I can’t, it’s, no, it’s not safe for you.” Stiles muttered, getting to his feet slowly and wincing slightly, he wasn’t in as much pain which felt incredible, but his body still ached, he was still healing and his muscles ached with the suddenness of his recovery. He headed into the kitchen, grimacing as his body protested him moving at all, he knew he needed to rest, sleep for a week preferably, but, he also knew it wasn’t going to happen with the pack here, he reached up and got another glass from the cabinet, pouring himself a generous measure of whiskey and swallowing it in one, he needed it to calm his nerves, to try and make himself believe that he was home, that he was safe for the first time in so long. 

“Mica,” His dad’s voice sounded from behind him and Stiles tensed, knowing they were going to demand answers, he felt his magic under his skin, wanting to reach out to them, he shut it down immediately, his magic wasn’t safe, not anymore, he had no control. “What happened kiddo? Where have you been?” 

“I can’t talk about this right now.” Stiles muttered, gripping tightly to the countertop in front of him and scrunching his eyes shut as if that would help him shut all of this now. 

“Stiles, it’s okay, whatever happened, whatever you’ve been through, we’re here for you.” Scott said and they all saw the air around Stiles shimmer with magic, as if he was losing control of his magic.

“Get out.” Stiles growled. “I need you to leave.” He said, feeling his magic beginning to spark out of control. 

“Stiles, whatever is happening, it’s okay, we’re here.” Erica said sounding worried. 

“I need you to not be here, get out!” Stiles said, the counter under his fingers vibrating and then shattering in his fingers, holes in the countertop where his hands had been clutching so tightly, the shimmer in the air became more obvious and the entire pack tensed, they’d never seen Stiles lose control like this before. 

“Stiles, we’re not going to leave you.” Cora said in determination, looking to Derek who nodded in agreement, they couldn’t leave Stiles, not like this, not ever. 

“What can we do to help?” Derek asked and Stiles gritted his teeth, the tension in his shoulders obvious, Stiles was fighting for control of his magic and he looked to be losing. 

“Nothing, just, just leave, please, before it gets worse.” Stiles replied, wincing as a bolt of magic shot through him and it felt like he was on fire.

“Stiles, it’s okay, we can get this under control, together, alright, so, let us help you.” Noah reasoned, amazed by the fact that he could practically taste the magic in his mouth, the room was so full of it. 

“No, no you can’t, they, they tried ripping it out and shoving it back in and it’s wrong, it’s so fucking wrong, I can’t, I can’t control it, you need to stay away from me, you need to get out.” 

“Son, I’m not leaving you, okay? I know you won’t hurt me, not ever, so whatever this is, I know you can control it, I know you can, I trust you, kiddo.” Noah said, ignoring the thought of what had happened to Stiles, he couldn’t think about that right now, he needed to focus on what Stiles needed right now, not what he had been through in the past few weeks. He took a step towards Stiles, his son turned to look at him, terror in every one of his features, he was shaking, the entire room was shaking, the cabinets were shaking on the wall, the table rattling against the floor, they were all looking at each other uncertainly, they’d never seen Stiles react like this, but Noah knew, with every fibre of his being, that his son could get this under control, that he would never hurt him, so he moved forwards, pulling Stiles into a tight hug and clutching him as tightly as he dared. “I’ve got you Mica, I’ve got you, you’re safe.” Noah muttered into Stiles’ ear. 

Stiles clutched his magic as tight as he could for as long as he could, terrified of it spilling out even further and hurting his dad, Melissa, the pack, he was terrified, he was going to lose control and he was going to kill them all. 

“I can’t hold it dad. Please. Please get out. Please, before it’s too late.” Stiles sobbed but Noah only held him all the tighter.

“I’ve got you kid, I’m not going anywhere, I love you, I love you so damn much.” Noah said, wishing he could take his son’s pain away, take his fear away, wishing he could protect him from the whole world if that was what it took for Stiles to be safe. Stiles held on for as long as he could, his magic splintering out of him, he was shaking, trembling, he couldn’t hold it, he wasn’t going to be able to hold it, he tried to pull out of his father’s grip but Noah wasn’t letting go of him and Stiles sobbed, brokenly, his chest heaving as he struggled for breath until it all burst out at once, a blinding white light that made them all scrunch their eyes shut and wince at the sight of it. 

Derek blinked repeatedly, trying to get the room to come back into focus, Noah was still clutching to Stiles who was sobbing brokenly into his dad’s arms, the room had stopped shaking and the rest of the pack were looking around nervously, as if trying to figure out if that was it, if it was over, or if there was still more to come. Noah was whispering reassurances in Stiles’ ear as the two of them sunk to the floor, Noah still cradling Stiles as he cried, Erica rushed forward, falling to the floor on the other side of Stiles and holding him tightly. 

“We’ve got you Mica, you’re safe, we’re here.” Erica reassured him over and over. The rest of the pack gradually piling in around Stiles until they were all huddled in around him, telling him over and over that he was safe, that he was okay, that it was all okay, Stiles sobbing until eventually he slipped into an unsteady sleep.

Derek managed to carry Stiles up to the pack bedroom, depositing him on the bed as gently as he could while the rest of the pack crowded in around him, snuggling as close to Stiles as they could, hoping he could finish healing while he slept by sleeping next to them. 

Stiles jolted upright after only a few hours’ sleep, he pushed at the bodies that were covering him, he could already feel a panic attack starting, still trapped in the nightmare that he’d been having, bodies, god, so many bodies, he couldn’t breathe, they were dead, they were all dead, it was too late, he’d killed them, they were all dead.

“Stiles, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Somebody was talking to him, hands on his face, clutching at his cheeks, but he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t focus, all he could see was dead bodies surrounding him, it was his fault, god, it was all his fault, he was aware of movement around him, whoever had been clutching his face was moving behind him, “Shhh, Stiles, shhh, I’ve got you, it’s alright.” The voice continued, reassuring him until he finally came back to his senses, realising it was Derek holding tight to him, his chest pressed to Stiles’ back, their chests rising and falling in synchronisation, “That’s it Stiles, you’re doing great, just breathe with me, you’re safe, you’re okay.” 

Stiles became aware of movement around him, realised there were other hands on him, he opened his eyes, looking around at the pack that were gathered around him, Erica’s hand on his shoulder, Scott’s on his knee, his dad’s on his arm, all of them were there, touching him in some way as if to comfort him, looking at him with concern, Stiles looked at them apologetically, shrugging out of Derek’s grip and pulling away from the pack, standing up slightly unsteadily and wiping the sweat and tears from his cheeks. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled, heading out of the bedroom and down the hall into the bathroom, avoiding looking in the mirror, terrified of what he would see, instead he scrubbed his face with water, knowing he must be at least partially healed in order to be able to move so easily without wanting to cry out in pain. He grabbed a sleep shirt and shorts, wanting to cover his body as best he could, not wanting the pack to have to continually look at the damage, he was heading back to the bedroom, knowing the pack needed some kind of explanation for what had happened when he heard his spare phone start ringing in the office, he wanted to ignore it, wanted to go into the bedroom with the pack and take whatever comfort he could get from them, but, he knew it wasn’t going to happen, instead he turned towards his office, pretending he didn’t notice the pack creeping out of the bedroom and following after him.

“Stilinski speaking.” He answered. 

“Dropped the agent I see.” A woman’s voice said. 

“Rita.” Stiles replied in greeting, leaning against the table and rolling his eyes apologetically at the pack who were all hovering in the doorway. “What can I do for you?” 

“Is it true?” Rita asked without preamble and Stiles tensed.

“Is what true?” He replied. 

“Don’t be coy Stilinski, it never was your strong suit, Steve sent out an email to all active members, where is he? Did he make it?” 

“No. He’s dead.” Stiles said, clenching his fists as the memory surfaced, Steve who had been trying to save him, Steve who had died at Stiles’ hands, it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, he couldn’t lose control again, he had this, he could control this. 

“And the ones responsible?” Rita queried. 

“Dead too.” Stiles said. 

“So what happens now? I mean, the council members who made the big decisions were all killed in the explosions, so, who gives us assignments now? How’s it all going to work?” 

“I don’t know Rita.” Stiles sighed, rubbing at his eyes wearily, “I’m not working for them anymore.”

“No shit, you’d have to be an idiot to stay with them after what they did.” Rita said angrily and Stiles nodded silently before he realised that she couldn’t see it.

“Yeah, so, um, I don’t know, I don’t know how it’s all going to work, the networks are all still there I guess, but, I think I’m going to stick around Beacon Hills, take care of anything that crops up in the vicinity, no more running off around the world on the slightest whim.” Stiles replied.

“You’ll still be able to call though, right? Talk to me? Because, honestly, without your knowledge I’d have been dead a thousand times over by now.” Rita said hopefully. 

“I guess so, yeah, you can still call Rita, I’m not going to cut off all contact, I just, I can’t work for the council anymore.” 

“That makes sense.” Rita muttered quietly, “Stiles?” She asked and Stiles hummed in response, “Are you okay?” She asked sincerely.

“I’ll live which is more than a lot of people.” Stiles replied bitterly.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry that you had to go through that, I had, we had, those that know you, they know you wouldn’t have, they did wrong Stiles, what they did was so wrong, and, you’re a good guy, really, truly, good. I’m sorry it came to this.” 

“It’s not your fault, I should have seen it coming.” Stiles muttered in self-hatred. 

“Nobody could have predicted what they were going to do, but, you are a good man, I know you might not work for the council anymore, but, I’d still trust you with my life, time and time again.” Rita said and Stiles remained silent, unsure what he could say to that. “I’ll leave you in peace, I’m sure you need to rest and recover…”

“Rita, what did Steve’s email say?” Stiles asked quietly as if afraid to hear it said aloud.

“I’ll send it to you, I didn’t watch it all, I couldn’t, he, um, he hacked into the footage of the security camera on you, the email said it would send out automatically if he didn’t update it within twenty-four hours.” Rita replied, “Stiles, I know it won’t mean anything to you, but, Steve, he loved you, he would have done anything to protect you.” Stiles felt the tears forming in his eyes, blinking rapidly in order to force them away, he couldn’t grieve for Steve, not when it was his fault that he was dead. “If you need anything, even if it’s just someone to talk to, I’m here.” Rita said and Stiles nodded, clearing his throat and clenching his jaw.

“Thanks Rita. Appreciate it.” Stiles said before disconnecting the call, looking again at the pack who had waited patiently for him to finish the call and now looked desperate for an answer. 

“Mica…” Erica whispered sounding pained and Stiles moved around the table, picking up some of the files still scattered around his office in an order to keep himself busy. 

“There wasn’t an assignment in Peru.” Stiles said suddenly and everyone stilled, looking at him in surprise, not expecting Stiles to open up to them so easily. 

“So where did you go then?” Allison asked and Stiles tensed, moving to the shelves and putting the files away, trying to buy himself some time. 

“I went, um,” He cleared his throat, obviously struggling to admit what had happened, “I went to Peru, I, it was a setup, a trap, the council, they, I sent them the debrief, about what had happened with Jackson, pulling him through the portal, somebody, or, well, several somebodies decided it meant I was getting, or, I was, too powerful, that I shouldn’t be able to do what I could do.” Stiles confessed, “I went to Peru and when I got off the plane there was a couple of other council members there, ones I’d met before in training, you remember I told you about the guy who came up with the ‘child prodigy’ nickname, Richard, well, yeah, he was there, and, I teased him about them finally letting him out on a training assignment because he still hadn’t graduated, and, anyway, long story short, the three of them knocked me out, handcuffed me using my own freaking handcuff design that I’d sent them after dealing with Don and they took me back to Virginia.” 

“Virginia? To headquarters? Why?” Noah asked in horror. 

“Like I said, somebody there decided I was too powerful, they wanted to, they didn’t want to kill me, that would be ‘such a loss of power’,” Stiles said bitterly, “They wanted to rip my power out, take it for themselves somehow, and, when it didn’t work, they kept, I guess let’s call it ‘experimenting’, trying to find a way to make it work.” The pack stared at him in disbelief, unable to process that Stiles had been kidnapped and tortured by the council, the very people that had trained him in the first place, for doing something as innocent as helping to save Jackson’s life. “Anyway, Steve found out about it somehow, I’m not really sure, but, he found out where they were keeping me and he tried to help me escape, except, I wasn’t strong enough, and, they caught us.”

“They killed him?” Scott whispered in shock. 

“No. They tied us together, made sure we were touching as much as possible and then they hurt me until I lost consciousness.” Stiles replied quietly, his voice filled with so much pain that Derek wanted to hold him tight and never let him go, “I drained him, I didn’t know, I was out of it, but, when I woke up, he was dead, I’d taken all his energy from him, I killed him.” Stiles cleared his throat again, blinking back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him, “I had enough energy to escape, so, I managed to get free and then I slaughtered every one of them that I could find to make sure they couldn’t do it to anyone else. They said it was because they couldn’t afford my level of power to be left unchecked, in case I decided to go dark, start working against them, they couldn’t take the risk.”

“Stiles.” Jackson whimpered, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I should have come with you in London when you offered, but, I thought you must have been wrong, I didn’t believe that Derek would let me come home, would let me back in the pack, but, I should have believed you, if I had then you would have never had to use that stupid portal…” 

“Don’t be stupid Jacks.” Stiles replied, turning away from the pack and shifting a few more of the files around, “They would have done it eventually, for one reason or another, everything I’ve ever read about sparks shows they gain more power the more they use their abilities, as their belief grows, if it hadn’t been you it would have been something or someone else, I would have done something that made them see me as a threat instead of an ally and they would have done the exact same thing they did anyway.”

“But I shouldn’t have…” 

“I can list a thousand things I should or shouldn’t have done, I should have kept the knowledge of the handcuffs to myself, to trap a caster with handcuffs, it should have been kept in the hands of the one person I could trust, not given to them, I shouldn’t have told them about the portal, but, I thought Jake might say something to someone and they’d find out and then they’d be mad I didn’t tell them, I should have never turned my back on them at the airport, given them the chance to knock me out, I should have fought harder, made sure they never got me to Virginia, I should have made Steve leave me and go, I should have stayed conscious, I should have been able to have enough control to not kill him even when I was unconscious…” Stiles swallowed, “The list is endless, but, I can’t change what has happened. Even I’m not powerful enough to go back and change the past.” 

“They did that to you? All the bruises and the cuts and the bite marks?” Lydia asked angrily and Stiles nodded. 

“Well, the biting wasn’t them specifically, they were trying to see if my magic could be transferred, or sucked out of me or, you know, a million other ways, so, they had a vampire try, maybe a couple of times, I’m not sure, there’s a lot of time that just blurred together.” He admitted. 

“But why did they break your fingers? I mean, if you were already handcuffed, what was the point in breaking your fingers?” Cora said, Stiles just shrugged. 

“Fun I guess.” He replied, grabbing his laptop when it dinged with an incoming email, the pack gathering around in silence when Stiles opened the email that Rita had sent. 

“’If you are reading this I am most likely dead’ that’s a great start,” Noah read, “’The council are not who we believe them to be, attached to this email is a link that will allow you to view footage of a security camera that is located in our headquarters. Agent Stilinski, who many of you will have worked with, is being kept prisoner there. They may tell you he has done something to deserve this treatment. This is not true. He is a spark. Someone who has proven himself to me and to many others over and over that he is a good, decent, human being with an incredible sense of right and wrong. The only reason they are keeping him here is because they are afraid of his power, they want his power. Agent Stilinski has recently done something that nobody else has ever done before, he pulled a non-caster through a portal of a distance of nearly four thousand miles, he sent me the debrief, I, for my part, handed it to my superiors, I was astounded, amazed, overwhelmed by how lucky I felt to have such an incredible person supporting me, supporting us.’” Noah cleared his throat and Kira picked up where he left off, knowing Noah was feeling emotional.

“’The next thing I heard was that Agent Stilinski had gone missing while on assignment in Peru, I was worried, horrified even, I dug into the case, determined to find out what had happened to him, determined to do whatever I could to rescue him, what I found instead was that he had been kidnapped and held prisoner in our cells. Right below my feet. Held captive by my superior officers purely in an attempt to extract his power. I intend to rescue him. I’ve set this email to be sent automatically to all active members of the council should I not check in every twenty-four hours, which means if you have received this I am probably dead, I only hope that I succeeded, and, if I didn’t, that one of you takes up where I left off and saves him. Save him while there is still a chance. While there is still hope. And do not believe them. Stiles did nothing wrong. He is innocent. And, even if he was guilty, we would not inflict this torture on our worst enemies.’” There was silence as Kira finished reading, all of them staring at the screen in shock. 

“Will the link still work? Was the camera damaged in the explosions?” Boyd asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“I’m not sure, maybe?” Stiles said, the mouse hovering uncertainly over the link for a few seconds before he gritted his teeth and clicked it open. 

Derek stared at the screen in disgust, Stiles was in a prison cell, his hands were handcuffed to the wall above his head, he was shirtless, his jeans hanging low on his hips, he was beaten and bruised and every inch of him seemed to radiate exhaustion, it was obvious he had been there for weeks already, they fast-forwarded through the tape until a man entered the cage and smirked at Stiles. 

“Brand new day, brand new experiments.” He grinned, holding up a knife that was decorated with symbols that none of them understood.

“Brand new day, same old jackass.” Stiles retorted, trying to sound bored even as his voice was filled with pain. 

“You know what this does?” He gestured to the knife, “We took a leaf out of your book, used those symbols on your handcuffs as a way to trap magic, we’re pretty certain that if we stab you with it, it’ll trap your power in the knife.” 

“Great plan. Let’s do it.” Stiles snarled and the man stared at him in surprise.

“Are you really ready to die already? I’ve barely even started with you yet.” 

“Oh no, I’m ready for you to trap all my magic in that knife, then there’s no chance of you ever getting it you piece of shit. You don’t deserve it and you’ll never get it because you are too fucking weak to handle it.” 

“Weak!? Really? We’ll see about that.” The man said before he moved forward and stabbed the knife into Stiles’ side, Stiles let out a small grunt of pain, gritting his teeth and scrunching his eyes shut. The man dug the knife in deeper, twisting it slightly, listening as Stiles did his best not to scream at the pain, as his entire body tensed in an attempt to stop him from screaming in agony, the smile of satisfaction falling from his face when nothing seemed to happen. 

“Oh well we can’t all be ‘child prodigies’.” Stiles remarked sarcastically through his gritted teeth, letting out another whimper of pain and smacking the back of his head into the wall when the man twisted the knife again before pulling it out. 

“We’ll just have to try something else.” The man said before exiting the cell, leaving blood running down Stiles’ side. The pack all looked at Stiles like they’d never seen him before, unable to believe he’d gone through that and yet was still somehow alive. Stiles skipped forward further, skipping through several more ‘experiments’, a couple of times where they patched him up enough that he wasn’t about to bleed to death before they were ready and several appearances where the only purpose seemed to be beating the shit out of Stiles, until, finally, Steve appeared on the camera. 

“Stiles? Can you hear me? I’m here to get you out, okay? Just hold on.” Steve whispered, looking over his shoulder constantly as if worried somebody was going to see him, he undid the chains keeping Stiles on the wall and Stiles fell against him, Steve was the only thing keeping him off the floor, Stiles was completely out of it, his eyes rolling uselessly in their sockets and he tried to keep himself from passing out, “It’s okay kid, I’ve got you, we’re going to get you out of here, you’re okay.” Steve reassured him, dragging him towards the exit and freezing when three men stepped into the doorway. 

“He’s not going anywhere.” One of them growled. 

“You can’t keep him here! I won’t let you!” Steve snarled. 

“You’ve got no choice, now, let go of him and we’ll let you leave.” 

“Steve, go.” Stiles mumbled, barely even coherent, “Get out of here.” 

“No. I’m not leaving him here, now, let us go.” Steve demanded and the three men burst into laughter, Steve threw a fireball at them but he was severely encumbered by Stiles’ weight against him and it didn’t take long for the three guards to blast Stiles and Steve backwards into the nearest wall. The pack watched in horror as Stiles and Steve were stripped to their boxers and tied together, Stiles was barely even conscious, just muttering about letting Steve go, that he’d done nothing wrong, to leave him alone, even as they strung the two of them up in the middle of the cell so that their feet were barely brushing the floor, Stiles kept pleading with them to let Steve go even as he fought for consciousness.

The guards left, leaving the two of them there, Stiles finding enough energy to shout for them not to go, to let Steve go, Steve already protesting that it was useless, that he wasn’t going to leave without Stiles anyway. 

It was silent in the office, all of them watching the tape with horror, Stiles skipped forward again, they’d obviously been left to hang there for a few hours before two men appeared, Derek guessed they were two of the senior members of the council judging by the robes they were wearing and the way they looked down their noses at Stiles and Steve. 

They didn’t speak, instead they just moved behind Stiles, both of them placing a hand on each of his sides, just below his ribcage and dug their fingers in, one digging into a knife wound and another over a bite mark, Stiles tensed in pain, gritting his teeth, the casters smirked and Stiles’ sides lit up, like he was being electrocuted from the inside out, Steve was screaming at them to stop, Stiles was just screaming, his whole body tense, trying to arch away from the pain and finding no escape, thrashing as much as he could in the chains as he screamed in agony. 

“Stiles! Leave him alone! Stop it! Stiles!” Steve was shouting but it was having no effect, Stiles was close to passing out, they all knew it, saw it in the way his body wasn’t even trying to fight anymore, he was going lax in the chains and they knew he was only seconds from passing out, “Stiles! Stop! You’re killing him! Stop it!” Steve screamed, pulling on his chains and getting nowhere, Stiles’ head fell forward and his body had gone limp, the two council members stepped away and Steve looked at Stiles in panic, leaning in and kissing him, they all watched in horror as the red lines appeared on his skin, as Stiles began to draw his energy, his life force, while the older men just stood and watched with what looked like amusement on their features. 

Steve refused to break the kiss, even when he went pale, even when he looked like he was on the verge of passing out and the red lines still marked his skin, he refused to break the kiss, refused to allow Stiles to die, even if it meant his own death, he started to weaken, they could all see it, Stiles was draining Steve, it wasn’t like he could help it, he was unconscious, it wasn’t his fault. Derek wanted to tell Stiles to turn it off, to stop it, that none of them needed to see this, but, the look on Stiles’ face told him that Stiles needed to see this, that he needed to witness what had happened to Steve when he was unconscious. 

Just when it looked like Steve was about to lose consciousness, the lines on his skin vanished and Steve blinked a few times, still kissing Stiles for a few moments longer before pulling away and looking at Stiles in astonishment, Stiles was still unconscious, but, somehow, he’d been able to stop himself from drawing all of Steve’s energy. 

“But, what, how?” Stiles said, staring at the screen, “He died. Because I me. I drained his lifeforce.” Stiles said, watching with horror as Steve smirked at the council members.

“You see that, he won’t kill me, even unconscious he won’t kill me, and you know why that is? Because he’s good, he’s got a huge heart and it’s filled with love and compassion and he will always, always do the right thing, something you have no claim to. He’s a good man and he deserves all the magic he can get and you will never, never, get it from him. He’ll die and he’ll take it with him and you will never get an ounce of his power!” Steve spat in victory. 

“He may be a good man, but, we can make him think otherwise.” One of the council members smirked, striding forwards and snapping Steve’s neck in an instant before they both left the cage, slamming the door shut behind them. 

Stiles stared at the screen unblinking, his face slack in disbelief, in shock, he hadn’t killed him, Steve hadn’t died by having his life force sucked out of him, of course he’d still died and Stiles hated that, wished Steve had never come for him, that he’d survived, but, the guilt that had felt like it was overwhelming him, it had felt like a blanket suffocating him, he’d never killed anyone with his magic before, not like that, not draining their lifeforce, it was his worst fear and he’d been convinced that it had finally happened. Knowing that he hadn’t, he felt his magic settle again, in a way it had never been before, he knew now, with every ounce of his being, he would never hurt somebody like that, he would never be unconscious and unable to stop his magic from draining the life from somebody he cared about, no, his magic wouldn’t do that, his magic was good. 

“I didn’t kill him.” Stiles whispered, he still felt guilt, but it was more his grief that flowed through him, he could grieve, “I didn’t kill him.” Stiles repeated, allowing the words to roll around on his tongue, he hadn’t killed Steve, he hadn’t killed a friend, Steve hadn’t died at his hands. They’d killed him, just as they had intended to kill Stiles. Stiles didn’t want to watch any more but he knew the pack wanted to see, wanted to know how he’d escaped. 

Stiles woke up a few moments later, seeing an empty cage and Steve’s dead body. Stiles let out a sob, calling out Steve’s name, begging him to wake up, and, when he didn’t, Stiles started to scream in grief, in despair, in heartbreak, his magic had killed Steve. The whole cage seemed to light up with his power as he screamed, the singular lightbulb above his head getting brighter and brighter until it shattered and still Stiles screamed in rage, in betrayal, his magic had killed somebody he cared about, somebody he thought a lot of. The handcuffs holding him in place snapped open and Stiles had fallen to the floor, catching Steve’s body before he hit the floor and holding him for a few minutes, before he swiped at the tears on his cheeks, clenched his jaw in rage and marched forward, waving a hand as the cage swung open and the video cut out. 

His vengeance had been swift and merciless, he’d made sure that anyone in the building that had been involved in his capture and torture were slaughtered, although he hadn’t gotten all of them, Richard, the man who had been so jealous of Stiles and hadn’t even graduated yet, hadn’t been there and Stiles hadn’t bothered tracking him down. Instead he had snapped the necks of anyone who had been there with the barest twist of his fingers, determined to get revenge for Steve even if not for himself, there had been a fight, fireballs had been thrown, there had been a massive explosion that had killed everyone there and that Stiles had only just escaped from. He’d managed to heal himself enough that he didn’t die, that he would make it home before he collapsed, but, it had been a close thing, he guessed it was probably lucky the pack had been there, otherwise he would have passed out and god knows how he’d have felt when he woke up, if he’d woken up.

“Stiles, are you okay?” Scott asked and Stiles nodded numbly, staring at the screen, tracing his fingers over Steve’s dead body and allowing the tears to fall down his cheeks.

“I thought I’d killed him, I thought my magic had killed him, but, it wasn’t, it wasn’t me. He still died, but they did it, it was their fault. I should have made them suffer more.” Stiles growled. 

“They’re dead, that’s all that matters, that they’re dead and they can’t hurt you anymore.” Melissa said reassuringly and Stiles nodded.

“You’re right, yeah, it’s, it’s over.” He agreed quietly in exhaustion, unable to process the fact that Steve hadn’t died at his hands, god, he wished he wasn’t dead, wished he could have stopped him from coming to rescue Stiles, but, the relief he felt at knowing he wasn’t the one that had killed him, it was overwhelming. 

“Come on, lets go back to bed Mica, you’re obviously exhausted and you need to heal. You shouldn’t even be up.” Erica said, taking Stiles’ fingers and interlacing them with her own, leading him away from the laptop and back towards the bedroom, Stiles sighed heavily, feeling like he’d been carrying the weight of the world for so long and he just wanted to sleep, wanted to close his eyes and forget about everything he’d witnessed, about everything he’d had to suffer through just to survive, he just wanted to rest. “That’s it baby, go to sleep.” Erica whispered reassuringly, carding her fingers through his hair gently as Stiles rested his head on her shoulder and drifted back to sleep with ease, oblivious to the rest of the pack clambering into the bed around him, reaching out to touch him, offering whatever comfort they could. 

Stiles woke up with his head on Derek’s chest, he blinked a few times, looking around blearily, not overly surprised to see the Alpha looking down at him with sympathy while the rest of the pack slept on, Stiles guessed he should be grateful that Derek was the only person he’d disturbed. 

“You okay?” Derek muttered quietly and Stiles nodded silently, shifting as slowly as he could so as not to disturb the pack except needing not to be resting against Derek right now, there was still so much pain and heartbreak whenever he looked at Derek, he couldn’t understand why he was in the pack if he wasn’t good enough for them, if he was still in the pack, he wasn’t sure, he hadn’t asked the question when he’d found Derek’s letters, and, if he was honest, he wished he’d stayed, read more of them, made sense of what was happening instead of running away and ending up captured and tortured for weeks on end. There was one thing that had come out of his capture though, one thing that he knew for definite, he didn’t want to put the pack through that any more. While he’d been chained up, convinced he was going to die, that he would be branded a traitor and that his dad would probably never know what happened to him, all he could think was that his dad didn’t deserve this, Erica didn’t deserve this, none of them did. 

He’d been in plenty of dangerous situations before, plenty of close calls, plenty of times where he was certain he was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it, but, something about this time was different, maybe it was the fact that the council were the ones responsible, he’d always believed that if anything happened to him before then the council would make sure his dad knew, that he got some closure or something, but, this time, his dad would never know, he would never find out what happened to Stiles, just that he didn’t come home this time, no, he couldn’t allow that, not now, not ever, which meant he needed to stop. He needed to stop putting his dad through this. 

“You’re thinking pretty hard.” Derek whispered and Stiles looked at him, blushing slightly, he hadn’t realised he’d zoned out. “Anything I can help with?” 

“Yes or no answer only, okay?” Stiles asked and Derek nodded firmly, his eyes going wide, surprised that Stiles was willing to talk to him about anything, “Am I pack?” 

“Stiles,” Derek whined, “I should have…”

“No. No, just answer yes or no. I can’t deal with anything else right now, I don’t want to think or overthink anymore, or anything, I just, am I pack? Yes or no?” 

“Yes, yes, of course you are.” Derek said sounding anguished that Stiles would even have to ask. 

“Okay. We can deal with you lying to me some other time. I’m pack. That’s what matters.” Stiles replied quietly, shifting until he rolled over, his back to Derek and snuggling into Erica’s stomach, wrapping his arms around her as best he could. He felt Derek move a few minutes later, felt him snuggle up behind Stiles and a moment later his arms wrap hesitantly around Stiles’ waist, Derek’s breath was hot on the back of his neck, and Stiles tensed for a second before forcing himself to relax, Derek was just doing what he did with all of his pack when they were injured, it wasn’t anything special, he closed his eyes, repeating the mantra over and over in his mind, reminding himself of the last time he had made a complete fool of himself in front of Derek, he wouldn’t be as stupid as to believe this time was different and he wouldn’t make Derek feel uncomfortable by reading more into it. 

Stiles slept for most of the next four days, his injuries still healing, his energy returning slowly, waking only long enough to eat whatever his dad or Melissa or another member of the pack had brought him, before he went back to sleep again with a grateful smile on his lips. Derek barely left his side, moving only when he needed to go to the bathroom or to get himself some food, he wanted Stiles to be okay, to get up and move without wincing in pain, to hear Stiles make some sarcastic remark to someone, to be okay. He knew it was going to take time, Stiles had a lot to deal with, a lot to process, but Derek was determined to be there with him every step of the way. He’d let Stiles down once, made him believe that he wasn’t important to Derek, he was not going to let Stiles ever doubt how much he cared about him again. 

On the fifth day Stiles actually woke up properly for the first time since his arrival home, he’d clambered out of the puppy pile and headed for a shower, feeling a hundred times better just for being clean, the majority of his injuries had healed, the bruises completely healed, where the knife had been plunged into his flesh time and time again were now just fresh pink scars, the bite marks had gone completely, the broken bones were healed and the skin where some of his tattoos had been removed had regrown, the tattoos somehow magically reappearing along with the skin, Stiles stretched, feeling the ache in his muscles as he dressed and headed downstairs. 

Derek couldn’t believe the sheer relief he felt at seeing Stiles up and about, watching him pour himself a bowl of cereal at three in the afternoon just because he was hungry, Stiles seemed to have regained most of the weight he’d lost since his kidnapping, Melissa had instructed Stiles to drink plenty of protein shakes which he had done, Derek had woken him up religiously in order to make sure he drank as well as ate, and, it looked like most of the physical injuries had healed, now they only had to deal with the psychological ones. 

Stiles settled onto the floor next to Scott, leaning against the sofa that Derek and Boyd were sat on, shovelling his cereal into his mouth while watching whatever film was on the television avidly, Erica and Cora both snuggled up to him, Erica sneaking under his arm to cuddle his chest whereas Cora wrapped her arms around his legs and rested her head on them, Derek waited until Stiles had finished his cereal and then he shifted slightly, moving so that he could run his fingers through Stiles’ hair softly. Stiles glanced at him in surprise but, when Derek pointedly refused to make eye contact, looking instead at the screen for fear Stiles would tell him to get off, he returned to watching the television, relaxing back against Derek’s hand and allowing him to continue, Derek counted that as a win. 

Stiles fell asleep to the feel of Derek’s fingers in his hair, it shouldn’t feel so good, it really shouldn’t, but, it did, he was relaxed, peaceful in a way he hadn’t been in years, he’d made his decision, he was going to stick to it, he was staying in Beacon Hills.


	14. Chapter 14

“I guess I need to look at moving out.” Stiles said when he woke up hours later and the entire pack startled, looking at him like he’d lost his mind, “I don’t work for the council anymore, I don’t think they’ll be happy about me living in their house.” He added as an explanation. 

“Let them try and kick you out! After what they did to you!? After all you’ve done for them!? Not a chance, if they want to kick you out of here then they’ll have to go through all of us.” Scott said in outrage and Stiles shrugged.

“It’s only a house Scotty. Besides, it’s not like I’ll be leaving town, just, finding somewhere else to live.” He replied. 

“Come live with us.” Peter blurted out, everyone turning to look at him in surprise, “What? Stiles is pack, he needs somewhere to live, we’ve got space, he should live with us?” Peter looked to Derek uncertainly, relaxing when Derek patted him on the shoulder and nodded.

“Of course, that’s a great plan, if you’d want to?” Derek asked, Stiles looked at Derek before glancing at Erica who was practically bouncing on the spot.

“Yeah, um, sure, that would be, um, yeah, I think, yeah, if that’s okay?” Stiles muttered, laughing when Erica grinned and jumped on him, knocking him to the floor and pulling him into a tight hug. 

“Oh, god, this is going to be so exciting batman, we can have cuddles every night and watch those stupid ass movies that you’re always going on about and you can make me breakfast because you make the best freaking pancakes and…”

“Woah, woah, chill out Rica, take a breath.” Stiles laughed from where he was buried under her hair.

“No, oh my god, this is so exciting, don’t tell me to calm down, this is like, the best news ever! I’m never going to leave you alone, Boyd you’re going to have to get used to Stiles sharing the bed with us, maybe I’ll be able to talk him into that threesome?” Erica cackled while Boyd just shrugged. 

“Fine with me.” Boyd replied easily while Stiles pushed Erica off and managed to sit up, propping his elbows on the floor. 

“I’m pretty sure I’ve made it clear that it’s never going to happen.” Stiles scolded, blushing brightly.

“I’ll talk you around eventually.” Erica grinned. 

“You really won’t.” Stiles said, “Now, get off me before I change my mind.” 

“You’re not going to change your mind, you’re going to love living with us Mica!” Erica smiled brightly, climbing off Stiles and holding out a hand to help him up, Stiles rolled his eyes and took her hand, getting to his feet easily. 

“Sure.” He muttered feeling uncertain, okay, so he was pack, he knew that, but, still, how was he supposed to deal with living with people who had pushed him away because he wasn’t as good as them? Thankfully, before they could discuss it any further his phone rang and Stiles grabbed at it quickly, “Stilinski speaking.” 

“Stiles, hey, you probably don’t remember me, we worked a case in Baltimore, it’s Special Agent Parker with the FBI?” A man spoke sounding nervous and Stiles paused for a moment, obviously thinking before he nodded.

“Right, yeah, Tony, right? How’ve you been dude?” Stiles asked and Tony let out a shaky laugh of relief. 

“Yeah, I’m good, well, not great, but that’s why I’m calling you, I need your help.” 

“What kind of help?” Stiles queried.

“The kind you specialise in?” 

“I don’t work for them anymore, you’ll need to call them directly.” Stiles replied and Tony paused, obviously surprised by this answer.

“But I don’t know them. I know you and I know what you’re capable of. Look, I’ll be honest Stiles, I’m in way over my head here, even my chief knows that something is going on, he’s given me permission to bring in the specialist we had before…” 

“I know Frank remembers my name, tell him I said hey.” Stiles teased. 

“Alright, okay, so even Chief Maddox…”

“Dude stop being so formal, call him Frank, I know he doesn’t mind.” Stiles joked.

“Frank,” Tony whispered sounding scandalised, “Well, even he is admitting we need help, and you know what he’s like, please Stiles, and I know the council took a cut before, but, we’ll pay you directly, please? I don’t trust anyone else with this, not the way I trust you.” Tony begged and Stiles grimaced, he couldn’t turn down somebody when they needed his help. 

“Stiles, don’t, you’ve only just recovered…” Erica pouted. 

“Send me across whatever information you’ve got, I’ll look into it, see if there’s someone closer to you that I trust to be able to help you, and, if they can’t, I’ll come.” Stiles said seriously, frowning at Erica when she looked ready to argue with him.

“Thanks Stiles, it means a lot, you know I don’t know anything about any of this mystical crap.” Tony replied and Stiles laughed. 

“No need to remind me, I’ve still got the scars from last time.” Stiles teased and Tony laughed self-depreciatingly, “Just send me the stuff through dude, I’ll come back to you before the end of the day.” Stiles said before disconnecting the call. 

“Mica, come on, you literally have just recovered from being tortured for six freaking weeks, you can’t go out on a case already, besides we have to like move all your stuff in, and you need to pick which room you want and we need to make you eat some more because you still haven’t regained all your weight and…”

“Catwoman, breathe.” Stiles instructed before resting a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, “Relax, okay, I’ll look into the case file, I’ll go from there, I never said I was going to go out there, not yet anyway, so, just, chill.” 

“Fine.” Erica said taking a steadying breath as Stiles looked around at the rest of the pack. 

“Cheer up guys, you look like someone just kicked your favourite puppy.” Stiles joked. 

“None of us want to see you hurt again.” Allison said seriously. 

“Oh, so I’m the favourite puppy!?” Stiles laughed, dancing out of reach when Erica went to punch him in the shoulder, “Oh, I am, I totally am, I’m the favourite!” Stiles teased, sticking his tongue out at Erica, evidently not actually believing that he was indeed Derek’s favourite. 

“Whatever.” Erica replied, crossing her arms across her chest when Stiles continued avoiding her attempts to punch him. 

“Aww Rica, don’t be like that, you know you’re MY favourite pup.” He laughed brightly, teleporting from the spot and reappearing behind Erica when she’d been about to tackle him into another hug. Scott dived forward, evidently convinced he was going to catch Stiles unawares, instead Stiles teleported again, reappearing on the opposite side of the room and laughing when Scott instead slammed into Erica and the two of them fell to the floor in a heap. After that things sort of devolved into a play fight slash puppy pile with Stiles tricking everyone until they were all piled up on the floor and he was still standing with a victorious grin. “I win!” He crowed triumphantly. 

“We let you win!” Malia muttered from somewhere underneath Cora.

“Whatever.” Stiles replied happily, launching himself onto the top of the pile and laughing when they all let out a groan at the impact, “So, who wants to help me move?” Stiles asked and everyone seemed to scramble out from under him, eager to help Stiles get moved into the pack house where he belonged. 

It didn’t take them long to get his stuff together, he only had a couple of bags of clothes and a few boxes of the rarer books he’d collected and thought would be useful, the majority of his belongings were the case files that the council had given him and he didn’t think it was right taking them with him. He boxed up the files and created a portal sending them back to headquarters, he wasn’t sure what was going to happen to them, who was going to deal with them, if anyone, but, it wasn’t his problem, not anymore, even if he felt guilty that people could be in danger and he wasn’t helping them. He needed to be here, with his family, they might have lied to him, but, he’d forgiven them for that, believing he’d been about to die had made Stiles realise he didn’t want to die being mad at the pack, or them thinking he had been mad at them. They’d lied to him, he’d just have to get over it. He was over it. Sure, he didn’t really understand why they’d lied to him, if it was really all about keeping him safe then Erica and his dad surely should have stopped him from joining the council, but, he’d decided it didn’t matter. It was over. He was pack. He knew it. He would just have to prove that he could look after himself, that they didn’t need to protect him. 

Erica bounded up the stairs, showing Stiles the three spare bedrooms they had and letting him choose his favourite, Stiles went for the one on the end that had a large bay window that he thought he’d be able to sit in quite comfortably while he was reading. He dumped his bags on the bed, heading back downstairs and hovering a bit uncomfortably, this was weird, being here, making it his home, he knew he was pack now, but, still, he wasn’t sure how it was going to work, thankfully before he could overthink things his phone pinged with an incoming email and Tony’s case file came through. 

He dropped into the nearest seat, scrolling through the notes that Tony had sent through, his interest increasing the more he read, until he was practically staring at the phone with his mouth hanging open and excitement and dread flooding through him in equal measure. 

“What is it?” Kira asked and Stiles broke out of his trance, amazed to see that almost the entire pack was in the living room, he’d barely even noticed them. 

“Honestly, I think it could be Medusa.” Stiles whispered in awe.

“Medusa? Like, ‘turn people into stone’ Medusa?” Lydia asked. 

“Definitely sounds like it, there’s no way Tony and Frank can deal with this alone.” Stiles said with an arched eyebrow, still staring at the screen incredulously. 

“So you’re going to call around? See if anybody is near Tony that can help him?” Peter queried and Stiles nodded, already scrolling through his phone to see who could help, he hated delegating jobs though, he hated putting other people in danger, especially if he was free, if he wasn’t doing anything, and, Medusa, that was pretty big stuff, he didn’t know many people that would be able to handle that, well, maybe one, but still, turning people to stone, if he sent someone else and they got turned to stone it would be his fault.

“Stiles?” Scott asked when Stiles had been staring unmoving at his phone for at least ten minutes.

“Huh?” Stiles said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Scott in surprise, in honesty, he’d forgotten they were even there, he gritted his teeth before dialling the number his finger had been hovering over. 

“Stiles? Why are you calling me?” John answered gruffly. 

“Hey John, look, I might have a case for you, depending on if you’re busy or not, it’s kind of urgent?” 

“You’re still working for them after what they put you through!?” John said in disgust.

“No, no, of course not.” Stiles replied, “No, I got a call from an FBI agent in Baltimore, I worked a job with him last year, anyway, he’s got a case, people being turned to stone, literally three or four people at once, and they’re all looking in the same direction, my first thought was some kind of offshoot of the basilisk family, stone instead of petrification, but, then, reading through the other notes, the layouts of the rooms, there’s no space for anything that big, and, well, other things too, I can send you the file across, you can check it out yourself, don’t take my word for it, but, well, I think it might be Medusa.” Stiles rambled. 

“Medusa?” John said, sounding concerned, not that he thought Stiles was wrong, more that he thought Stiles was right. 

“Yeah, I know, it’s insane, but, there’s nothing else I think it can be, so, you free and fancy a job?” 

“Actually, I would love to kid, but I’m working a case of my own, a tribe of wendigos, I’m going to be here for a few days at the very least.” John replied. 

“Oh, okay, no worries, oh, hey, maybe you could give Rita a call, I spoke to her the other night, she said she was worried about how the council are going to handle things now, but, if you’re still taking assignments, you could tell her your procedure with them and stuff?” 

“I don’t work for those bastards, not anymore, not after what they did to you.” John snarled, “I’m just taking on my own cases instead, I’m not sure how it’s going to work, but I’ll be damned if I work for the monsters that did that to you and to Steve, he was a good man, and, he, um, he cared about you, he’d always tell me about what case you were on, how proud he was to be working with you.” Stiles swallowed loudly, blinking back tears at the memories. 

“Thanks John, he, he thought a lot of you too.” Stiles said, clearing his throat and clenching his jaw.

“You know the council is done?” John commented.

“What?” Stiles asked in surprise. 

“Steve sent that email to all active members, anyone that’s even a half decent human being has renounced any connection to them, not just for what they did to you, but, the possibility of it happening to them if the council decided they were a threat. The students have all gone, some of the members have taken them in, agreed to be mentors sort of, and, those that are left, those that remain loyal to the council, to the ones that died, well, they’re out for blood, your blood specifically, they blame you for what happened, you should watch your back.” John warned.

“They come for me and they die, as simple as that.” Stiles replied casually and John laughed.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second. Nobody goes after the spark and lives to tell the tale.” He smiled and Stiles blushed slightly. 

“I don’t…”

“It’s a compliment kid, you’re strong and you don’t take any shit. Anybody stupid enough to try and kill you will pay for it with their life, which is what happened to the council members responsible for what happened to you. It’s a good attitude to have, you can’t be soft, you can’t show them weakness, otherwise you’ll be the one dead at the end of the day.” John advised. “I’d kind of like it if you stayed alive as long as possible, god knows I’m going to need your help at some point in my life, and, it’d be good to be able to call on you.” 

“Anytime you need help I’m here John.” Stiles replied solemnly, there weren’t that many council members that Stiles liked, a lot of them showed their jealously, or treated him like a child that didn’t know what they did, just because he had the power to graduate so quickly didn’t mean that he had the experience that they did, John never acted that way towards him, he shared information, he listened to Stiles’ opinion, his plans, John never made Stiles feel like a stupid child who didn’t know what he was doing and Stiles appreciated that. 

“Offer goes the same way Stiles, just, not on this Medusa case, unless you think it can wait a few days until I’ve sorted out these wendigos?” 

“Nah, don’t worry dude, I’ll sort it out.” Stiles said, saying their goodbyes and disconnecting the call. 

“So you’re going to call someone else, right?” Scott asked sounding panicked and Stiles sighed heavily, getting to his feet and pocketing his phone. 

“Stiles, you can’t be serious! You spent the last six weeks being tortured! You spent this last week literally sleeping and eating in an attempt to recover! You haven’t even been awake for twelve hours yet and you want to go hunting Medusa who has the ability to turn you to stone!” Lydia said in despair, “Do you want to get yourself killed? Is that what this is? Do you want to die? Do you have a death wish?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Stiles scoffed, shaking his head and moving towards the stairs. 

“So tell me then!” Lydia shouted storming after him, “Do you not care about yourself at all?” 

“Of course I do.” 

“What is it then? Why are you so desperate to run away and risk yourself getting killed?” 

“Because I can help people.” Stiles replied calmly, a surprising contrast to the way Lydia looked like she was about to scream the entire house down in frustration, “Because I can help when other people can’t, you heard Tony, he can’t handle this, he’ll die and asking him too because I’m worried about myself, that’s not fair.” Stiles explained.

“The world isn’t fair Stiles!” Isaac shouted, “Just because you have power doesn’t mean all the bad things that happen in the world are your responsibility.”

“No, it doesn’t, but, I’m not dealing with all the bad things, just this one.” 

“And then the next one, and the next one, and the one after that and after that…” Erica muttered.

“What do you want me to say?” Stiles replied, sighing heavily. 

“I want you to say that being here matters to you more than running off to help the rest of the world!” Erica said. 

“Of course being here matters Catwoman, I’m not doing this because I want to leave you, you know I love you, no matter what, but, it’s important that I help people if I can, would you really be happy with people dying just because you wanted me to not put myself in danger?” 

“Yes.” Erica answered quickly and Stiles smiled fondly. 

“You don’t mean that,” He said shaking his head, “Rica, I’ll be fine, I’ll be gone a few days tops, I swear to you.” 

“You were only supposed to be gone a week last time and look what happened there.” Noah said and Stiles nodded. 

“I know, but, this’ll be different.” 

“How?” Noah asked. 

“Because we’ll come with you.” Malia said and Stiles grinned.

“No, because you guys have college and work and I’ll be fine without your help, I promise, I can handle myself, I don’t need you guys to protect me.”

“It’s not a matter of protecting you, we know that you could kick all of our asses’ all at once if you felt like it, it’s a matter of knowing what is going on, on being there for you if you need help, or even just someone to talk to.” Isaac said and Stiles looked at him for a moment before shaking his head in bemusement. 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll only be gone a few days.” He insisted. 

“Well, to put our minds at ease, I think it makes sense one of us comes with you, even if we just wait in the motel room or whatever, just so we know what’s going on.” Erica said, “Come on Mica, if you’re going to be on the front lines, one of us needs to at least be in the same city as you, please?” 

“Fine.” Stiles relented, knowing there was no point in arguing with them, “One of you can come.”

“I’ll do it!” There was a chorus of voices and Stiles rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Enough!” Derek shouted, “I’ll go with you.” 

“No, that’s not a good idea, I take a werewolf to another wolf’s territory, it may be forgiven, I take an Alpha and it’ll look like an invasion. I can’t take you.” 

“I can hide my scent from other wolves.” Derek replied. 

“From other Betas. Not from Alphas.” Stiles argued.

“Any what are the chances of bumping into another Alpha?” Isaac quizzed, “Just, if you take one of us, and we meet another Alpha, are they going to have issues with us being there?”

“Not massively high admittedly, and I should be able to hide your scent from any Alphas around…”

“If you can hide a Betas scent then why not an Alphas?” Derek interrupted and Stiles stilled. 

“It’ll be harder.”

“But you can do it?” Derek pressed. 

“Yeah I can.” Stiles agreed.

“Great, so, it’s settled. When do we leave?” Derek said smugly and Stiles clenched his jaw. 

“What about Beacon Hills? What about the pack? You can’t leave them unprotected.” 

“For a few days? Sure I can. Not to mention Boyd is more than capable of running the pack until our return, and the rest of them can look after each other too, plus, with your wards up the town is protected and we’ve had barely any supernatural encounters since they went up, other than Don, but he was after you, so, you know, really, you’re going to be the one in the most danger, it makes sense I come with you.” Derek replied. 

“This is ridiculous, I don’t need a babysitter.” Stiles grumbled. 

“I’m not coming as a babysitter, I’m coming because I need,” Derek cleared his throat awkwardly, “We all need,” He amended, “to know that you’re okay, and at least if I’m in the same city I can be there if there’s an issue, I can let the rest of the pack know.”

“And if I can’t handle the issue, what exactly do you plan on doing about it? We’re dealing with Medusa, you know, turns people to stone by looking at them, magic and craziness, you can’t just growl her into submission?” Stiles said scornfully and Derek shrugged. 

“I bet you nobody has ever tried it though.” He joked trying to lighten the mood and Stiles huffed out a laugh before finally admitting defeat. 

“Alright, okay, fine, fine, to keep you guys happy, you can come, but only to keep you happy, I will handle Medusa myself. You’re going to stay out of the way, if you get turned to stone I will kill you, sound fair?” 

“Yeah.” Derek replied, feeling nervous but also excited, yeah, they were going up against Medusa, but, he was going to get to spend a few days with Stiles just the two of them, he could begin trying to make amends for all the mistakes he’d made. Stiles shook his head fondly, pulling out his phone and calling Tony, telling him that Stiles was bringing a new partner with him and that they’d be there as soon as they could.

“I’ve booked you two seats on the next flight out, it leaves in two hours, I’ve also booked a room for you at a hotel near my office, I’ll send you all the details in an email, can we arrange a meeting for nine tomorrow morning? Go through what we have? Will that give you enough time to get some sleep?” Tony explained and Stiles nodded.

“Sure, that sounds great Tony, I’ll see you and Frank at nine tomorrow.” Stiles replied before disconnecting the call. 

They were packed and ready to go within twenty minutes, Derek wasn’t going to admit that he didn’t like the idea of leaving his pack, even for a few days, but, he knew if he showed the slightest hint of hesitation then Stiles would make him stay behind and as much as he was nervous about leaving his pack, he was terrified of something happening to Stiles and not being there to help him. 

“Be careful, please? Both of you?” Noah said and Stiles smiled, pulling him into a hug. 

“We’ll be fine, I’ll look after him.” Stiles grinned, letting go of his dad and hugging Erica next, “We’ll be back before you know it, don’t worry.” 

“I’m always going to worry Mica, just, I know you’ll be careful, but, just, be sensible, and come home.” 

“We will.” Stiles said firmly. “Right, we’ve got to go if we’re going to make the flight.” They said the rest of their goodbyes, Noah insisting on driving them to the airport. It was a bit manic getting through all the security, Stiles showing a badge that allowed him to have weapons in his carry-on, Derek didn’t think that was normally allowed but whatever badge Stiles showed obviously held a lot of pull. “It’s from the council.” Stiles explained when Derek questioned it when they finally got seated on the plane, “Really I should throw it away, but, if John was telling the truth and the council is destroyed then I don’t feel quite so bad about using it, and, honestly, after what they did, I’m keeping anything that makes my life easier.” 

“That sounds fair to me.” Derek replied, trying not to think about how close he was to Stiles, how their sides brushed whenever either of them moved. Stiles pulled out the case file as soon as they’d taken off and he spent the entire flight going over anything he might have missed, jotting down notes on a pad next to him. 

By the time they got to the hotel it was the middle of the night and Stiles looked tired but he never commented on it, instead flashing a smile at the receptionist and getting their room key, it was only when they got to the room that they looked and saw a king size bed. 

“You should get some sleep, I need to go over some more stuff.” Stiles said, throwing his bag onto the nearest chair and spreading paperwork all over the desk. Derek nodded, knowing there was no point in arguing with Stiles and trying to hide the evidence of his boner, because the instant he’d seen the bed he couldn’t help but think of the two of them in it together, Stiles sprawling across the bed in his sleep, Derek waking him up with a kiss, Stiles would blink at him in confusion for a moment before Derek leaned back in and kissed him again and Stiles would return the kiss hungrily, desperately, no, no, he really needed to get a grip on himself, that isn’t how it would happen, he knew it wasn’t. Instead he headed into the bathroom to get cleaned up and used the time to calm himself down, by the time he returned to the bedroom Stiles had his back to him, he was sat at the desk, ploughing through pages of notes, his head bent forward in concentration. Derek climbed into the bed and shifted around a bit until he got comfortable. 

“When you want to come to bed,” Derek smacked himself, that sounded so idiotic, “I mean, when you want some sleep at some point, I’m okay with us sharing if you are? If not, you can wake me up? I don’t need much sleep?” 

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry dude, just get some sleep, it’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” Stiles said without even turning around, he knew if he saw Derek in bed, cuddled up, looking all soft and cosy, that he’d end up doing something he probably shouldn’t, like suggesting they had sex, which was such a bad idea, he could maybe suggest it, saying that he just needed to blow off some steam, then Derek wouldn’t know that it would mean more to him? No. He shook his head in disgust, he did not spend the last three years attempting to get over Derek Hale just to have sex with him again the first chance he got. Instead he kept his back turned and focused on the work in front of him, if he was going to go up against Medusa, he needed to have a plan. 

Derek didn’t remember falling asleep, he had been listening to the steady beating of Stiles’ heart and the next thing he was aware of was the room door opening and shutting and the scent of coffee, he sat up, looking around and seeing Stiles stood at the entrance of the room. 

“Morning, I brought coffee.” Stiles said, indicating the cups in his hands.

“Have you slept at all?” Derek asked, Stiles looked like he’d already drunk several cups of coffee, he had bags under his eyes but he was practically bouncing on the spot, Stiles waved away his question, instead depositing the coffee cups on the bedside table and then heading back to the desk. 

“We have to go meet Tony in half an hour, well, I have to go meet him, I don’t know if you should come, maybe you should stay here? I mean, we got to the hotel without meeting another Alpha, why jinx it?” Stiles rambled, picking up some of the paperwork. 

“No, I’ll come with you, it’d be good to meet Tony and Frank.” Derek said, throwing back the covers and heading into the bathroom, when he came out Stiles was on the phone to Erica, telling her what was going on, that they were about to head to the FBI field office, he handed the phone to Derek and Derek spoke to Boyd about how things were going with the pack, thankfully nothing had happened in the ten hours that they’d been out of town, he hoped they got home soon, before anything could go wrong. 

They’d headed into the FBI field office, Derek very aware of the appreciative glances that both he and Stiles got, ignoring the way that people who’d obviously met Stiles last year and were greeting him fondly, a few staring at his ass when he walked onwards after a few brief hellos and introductions, Derek really disliked being here, he’d be a lot happier when they were back in Beacon Hills. 

Derek wasn’t sure what to think of Tony, the man seemed pleasant enough, but, he kept looking at Derek oddly and Derek wasn’t sure what it meant, Frank on the other hand, Derek hated him. The older man had shaken Derek’s hand and then turned his attention to Stiles, his arousal had flooded through the room and Derek had wrinkled his nose, trying not to give away his disgust or jealously when Frank clapped a hand on Stiles’ shoulder, pulled him into a hug and welcomed him back. 

“So I’ve been going through what you sent over, no more incidents in the past few hours?” Stiles asked, moving out of Frank’s reach and setting the paperwork on the table in front of them. 

“No, none that we’re aware of.” Tony said, glancing again at Derek with almost suspicion, “Can I just ask, do you not control your magic as well as Stiles? Just, with the flashing eyes and all?” Derek looked at him in surprise, he hadn’t realised his eyes had shifted, he had to get better control of himself, of his jealousy, he glanced at Stiles who shrugged in confusion. 

“Dude, Derek doesn’t have magic, he’s, um, he’s the same kind of different that Theo was.” 

“Was? Is he not around any longer?” Frank asked and Stiles shook his head. 

“Nope, he pissed off the wrong person and it ended badly for him.” Stiles explained. 

“That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, he had such a temper on him, he threatened me last time you were here.” Frank commented and Stiles looked up at him in shock. 

“What? Why?” 

“He was very protective of you, overly protective of you I’d say, I mean, well, when the case was done, I was planning on seeing if you wanted to go out and get a drink except before I could even ask he shoved me into a wall, told me that if I ever spoke to you again he’d rip my throat out.” Frank said. 

“With his teeth?” Stiles grinned and Derek shook his head fondly. 

“Um, no? Just, normally, I guess?” 

“Right, getting teeth involved is just your forte Derek.” Stiles teased Derek who rolled his eyes.

“One-time Stiles.” Derek growled. 

“Once is enough dude.” Stiles replied, “Anyway, we’re getting off topic, I think I have some ideas on where Medusa might be hiding out, and a few places on where she’s maybe planning on hitting next.” 

“Before we get back on topic, when the case is done, do you want to go grab a drink?” Frank pressed. 

“Sure, why not make it a meal? Like, I’m not being funny but I have a feeling fighting a Greek goddess is going to burn a lot of calories so I’m going to be starving.” Stiles said and Frank smiled brightly, Derek was going to kill him, he was going to follow through on Theo’s threat and actually rip the man’s throat out, “Plus, Derek has to eat way more calories than a normal person just to keep functioning so you’ll probably be starving too, right? And I’ve got to hear more about Tony’s kid, Becky, isn’t it? She must be nearly three by now? Still into my little pony? And Claire? How’s she handling her little baby growing up so quickly?” Stiles added and Tony shook his head in exasperation while Frank deflated and Derek did his best to hide his smirk. 

“Nah, she’s all about lego now, although, I’m planning on getting her my little pony lego for her birthday next week so I’ll be super dad! Claire’s good, she’s expecting child number two actually.” Tony replied while Frank composed himself, Stiles apparently oblivious to his disappointment. 

“Congrats man, that’s awesome, you’ll have to tell me all about it at dinner.” Stiles grinned, “Now back to the plans…” He said, bending over the desk and pointing out different buildings to Frank. 

“Is he always like this?” Tony muttered to Derek who looked at him in surprise, “You know? Oblivious?” Derek fought back a laugh.

“Oh, you have no fucking idea.” Derek replied and Tony grinned at him, Derek decided right then that he actually liked Tony, Frank could get turned to stone for all he cared, but, Tony, he liked. 

“Are you guys even paying attention?” Stiles huffed and Derek turned to look at him sheepishly. 

“Sorry.” Tony and Derek muttered in unison. 

“Right, so, like I was saying, I’m thinking her actual hideout is somewhere around here,” He gestured to a location on the map, “So, the plan is, I go check those buildings out first, Derek can see if he can smell something off, honestly, I’ve got no idea what she’s supposed to smell like, it might just be normal human, but, maybe, we can track her that way?” 

“I can give it a go I guess.” Derek agreed. 

“Good, and I’ll hide your scent for as long as I can, I don’t particularly feel like having to deal with any other Alphas getting all pissed off.” 

“Alphas?” Frank queried. 

“Yeah, um, they’re the, um, leaders of their groups?” Stiles said, wincing slightly at the explanation. 

“And, Derek here, he’s the, the Alpha of you?” Frank asked and Stiles went to shake his head before pausing. 

“I, well, I’m part of his group yeah, so, I guess, yeah he is.” Stiles replied, glancing at Derek in confirmation and smiling slightly when Derek nodded firmly. 

“Yes, I’m his Alpha.” Derek agreed, leaving no room for any misunderstandings.

“Okay. Back to the topic, what happens when we find her?” Tony asked. 

“You guys stay outside where it’s safe, I go in, and use some magic to try and stop her, then we go get food.” Stiles said. 

“Use some magic to TRY and stop her? Please tell me you have a better plan than that?” Derek growled in frustration. 

“Well, there are other lores that may work, but, usually my magic works fine, so, there shouldn’t be any issues.” 

“And these other lores?” Derek pressed.

“Beheading supposedly works, as does getting her to look in a mirror, but, neither of them are proven, and I’d rather not get that close to test them out.” Stiles explained. 

“That makes sense, you can use your magic long distance?” Frank queried. 

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be an issue.” Stiles repeated, “All I need is for you guys to make sure nobody else comes in, we don’t want any more statues if we can help it. And,” He said, seeing Derek opening his mouth to interrupt, “I’ll take a machete and mirror with me, just in case, happy?” Derek gritted his teeth. 

“Not really, but it’s kind of pointless to argue with you since you’re just going to do whatever you want anyway.” Derek pouted. 

“Aww, don’t pout Der-bear. It’ll be fine.” Stiles teased and Derek did his best not to growl when Stiles smirked at him. 

“I’m not pouting.”

“Are too.” 

“Boys! Let’s concentrate please.” Tony said trying to get them back on track and both Stiles and Derek flushed slightly, “Okay, so, when are we doing this?”

“No time like the present. Maybe catch her by surprise?” Stiles suggested and they all nodded, looking uncertain, but trusting Stiles’ judgement. The four of them piled into a car and Tony drove them out to the right neighbourhood, there were a lot of buildings to search and Derek had no idea how Stiles was even going to start looking. “Alright, you’re up big guy, just, try not to put your nose to the ground, it might look a little suspicious.” Stiles remarked and Derek rolled his eyes before inhaling greedily, all he got was a lungful of Stiles’ scent and it made him want to move to him, press his nose to his neck, breathe in Stiles’ scent with every breath he took. He shook his head, taking a step away and trying again. 

“Maybe.” He muttered, there was something, it was, he wasn’t sure what it was, it was almost human, so close that it was hard to tell the difference, but, there was also something off about it, like it was a mockery of human scent. It didn’t smell like Stiles, didn’t smell like magic and cinnamon and fresh cut grass and the air after a lightning storm. Derek clenched his jaw, forcing himself to single out the scent and attempt to follow it, “I’m not sure, but, maybe I have something?” 

“Good, okay, I’ll start hiding your scent in case there’s any Alpha’s wandering around and lets track the bitch.” Stiles said, closing his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again they were shining, not too brightly, but enough for people who saw him to think there was something almost otherworldly about him, Stiles shoved on a pair of sunglasses and gave Derek a thumbs up, Derek shook his head in exasperation, rolling his eyes as he started tracking the scent that could lead them to Medusa. 

After almost three hours of walking around in circles within the same few blocks, Derek felt like he was going to lose his mind, the scent kept getting away from him, it was stronger than it had been but he kept losing it at the most random intervals, Tony and Frank were following behind them and Stiles was walking at his side, all of them looked weary, walking in the heat was obviously taking a toll on them, Stiles looked to be almost swaying on the spot, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He’d caught the scent of three wolves while he’d been out walking, he was impressed that they didn’t even slow their pace, apparently oblivious to the Alpha in their presence, they’d eyed Stiles almost cautiously, no doubt able to smell his magic, but then they’d hurried on and Stiles hadn’t seemed to notice so it was fine. He slowed to a stop outside a building, the scent definitely went in there, the building was three floors high with broken windows and some of them were boarded up, there were several people walking on the street around them but none of them seemed to take any notice of the building next to them, Derek was almost certain that Medusa was in there and he stopped, nodding his head at the building in significance. 

“Alright, cool. Tony, Frank, you guys go get the car, we’ll wait here. We might need to make a quick getaway.” Stiles said, leaning back against the wall of the building behind him, Tony and Frank left quickly and Derek moved to the other side of the sidewalk, studying the entrance to the building, he had a good view from here, “As soon as they get here, I need you to get in the car, keep the windows up and stay in there.” 

“I think I should come in with you, we stand more chance if there’s two of us.” Derek replied. 

“No. I need you out here. I can’t hide your scent much longer and I need to concentrate on Medusa, not worrying about werewolves that your scent might attract.” Stiles admitted and Derek studied Stiles, saw the tremor in his fingers, saw the sweat at his temple, he stepped forwards, pulling Stiles’ sunglasses off and was shocked to see his eyes glowing a bright gold. 

“What the hell Stiles!? How much magic have you used just to hide my scent!?” Derek said in annoyance.

“Not much.” Stiles replied truthfully, “I just, I guess I’m not at full power at the moment, you know, still recovering and all that, this is what is was like when I used astral projection to terrify the witch who’d cursed you. It took weeks before my magic was actually back to normal, and, really, that was nothing in comparison to pulling Jackson through a portal and then being tortured for weeks without being given a proper chance to heal, and, yeah, I’m better now, but, magic takes times to come back, but I couldn’t let you walk around unprotected, not when there’s obviously wolves around here, and, I swear, they looked vaguely familiar somehow, I’m just not sure where from, it’s probably my imagination. Anyway, point being, it’ll just take time to get back to normal, but, I’m okay, and I’ve still got this, I just, I need not to use any more on you, I need it for Medusa, so I need you to stay in the car where it’s safe. Please?” Stiles asked and Derek hated it, hated the idea that he’d weakened Stiles without meaning to, he hated the idea of Stiles going in without backup but he knew if he insisted on going in, Stiles would insist on hiding his scent and it could weaken him further. 

“Fine. But, just be careful.” Derek said seriously.

“I always am.” Stiles grinned just as Tony and Frank pulled up at the curb. “Okay, you guys stay here.” He said, grabbing a machete and mirror from his bag, shoving the mirror down the back of his jeans and holding the machete in his hand, “I’ll be back soon.”

“Here, don’t forget your earpiece!” Tony said, handing Stiles a small microphone and earpiece which Stiles clipped on before slamming the door shut, squaring his shoulders and marching out of sight. 

The building was dark and cool in comparison to the heat outside, Stiles shivered slightly as he stepped through the main door, it looked to have been some kind of office building once upon a time, he thought it might have been going under construction at the time of going bankrupt, there were desks covered with plastic sheeting, scaffolding littered around the place, boxes and other tools half stacked around the room, it looked like somebody had just left, walked out for lunch and never returned. He did a sweep of the room, glad when nothing jumped out on him, before he moved to the side door. 

“Ground floor is clear.” He muttered before heading up the stairs. 

Derek sat in the car, listening to Stiles’ heartbeat in the building next to them, he squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, doing his best to block out Tony and Frank where they were muttering to each other in the front seat. Instead he listened as Stiles’ heart stayed steady, faster than Derek would like, but at least steady, he heard Stiles’ voice come over the radio that the ground floor was clear and he wished that he was in there with him, that he could help him, that he wasn’t sat in the car doing nothing, unable to do anything. 

“First floor clear.” Stiles said over the radio several minutes later and Derek felt like he was going to explode with worry. Stiles shouldn’t be in there alone, he should be there to watch his back, he dug his claws into the palms of his hands, trying to keep himself steady as they sat in silence, waiting for Stiles to tell them that the second floor was clear, that she wasn’t even here. Derek heard Stiles’ heart suddenly begin to race and a second later his voice came over the radio, “Contact made, standby.” 

Stiles felt the presence of somebody behind him just as he was about to finish his sweep of the top floor, it took everything he had not to turn around and look at the person behind him, knowing it would be the last thing he did. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched the machete a little tighter, the fingers of his other hand beginning to tingle with magic. 

“Smart boy.” A female voice whispered, practically in his ear and Stiles flinched away from it, using his magic to halt his eyesight but enhance his other senses, so there would be no chance of accidently looking at her, “Very smart, and you have magic too, impressive.” She remarked, “But magic only holds for so long boy, sooner or later you’re going to look at me.” She smirked and Stiles swung the machete towards where he believed her neck to be. He felt it connect, felt it vibrate and shatter in his fingers and then blast him backwards clear across the room, he landed hard, shattering the mirror down the back of his jeans bus he still scrambled back to his feet, sending a blast of magic in what he hoped was her direction. 

He was panting heavily, he could feel blood on his back and on his arms, he’d obviously cut himself at some point, there was silence and he wondered vaguely if he’d hit her, he was tempted to stop his spell, see if she was dead, but, if she wasn’t, looking would kill him. He inhaled slowly, concentrating on his surroundings, he felt the barest shift in the air to his left and he sent another blast of magic in that direction, hearing laughter a moment later and knowing he’d missed her again. 

“For such a smart boy you’re not being very intelligent. Trying to behead me? Trying to use a mirror to trick me into looking at my own reflection? I’m over four thousand years old child, do you honestly think looking into a mirror could stop me? If it was that simple I would have been dead years ago.” 

“I figured as much.” Stiles replied, trying to narrow down her location so he could hit her with his magic. 

“So what’s your next tactic? Your magic won’t work on me, and the more you use to try and hit me, the quicker that spell on your eyesight is going to fade, either way it’s a win-win for me, and that’s before I even begin to use my magic, do you know what I can do to you? What pain I’ll be able to inflict before you open your eyes for me? Before you beg for death?” She cackled and Stiles shoved another blast of magic at her, “Oh, so close, very close.” She said sounding annoyed, “But you can’t hit what you can’t see! Why don’t you just open your eyes? Look at me.” She said hypnotically and Stiles slammed his hands over his ears, blocking out her voice as best he could. 

Derek stared at the top floor in terror, he could see bright lights appearing in the window, even strangers on the street seemed to have noticed them and had stopped to see what was going on, Tony and Frank had got out of the car, blocking the entrance to the building when some curious kids made their way towards it. Derek couldn’t even help doing that, Stiles had begged him to stay in the car and he had done, but, with each passing second that Stiles was fighting Medusa, Derek got more and more agitated. He should be there with him. Helping him. 

Suddenly there was a loud blast, light shining brightly through all the windows in the top floor and then there was a shattering of glass and Derek stared in horror as he saw one of the only remaining windows shatter and a body fall through it. 

Stiles caught onto the windowsill to stop himself falling straight into the street below him, he felt glass cut into his palm but he couldn’t think about that, he had to get back inside, he had to take her out. He hadn’t expected his own blast of magic to be thrown back at him and he hadn’t realised how close he was to the windows, it was his own fault, he should have planned better. 

“Stiles!” Derek’s voice was calling out from the street below sounding panicked, “I’m coming Stiles! Just hang on!” Derek shouted and Stiles cursed, pulling himself up, ignoring the glass that cut into his arms and chest, he had to kill Medusa before Derek got here, before he got turned into stone. He snarled, grabbing hold of his magic and sending it out in another blast of power, he heard something hit the floor hard and Medusa let out a huff of pain. 

“Oh, we’re not playing anymore then pretty boy?” She snarled and Stiles grunted as something hard hit his shoulder. 

“You need to work on your aim!” He taunted, ignoring the shaking in his fingers telling him his magic was beginning to fade. 

“I’m just getting warmed up!” Medusa shouted, Stiles used the sound of her voice, felt her closing in and then he did something even he hadn’t planned on doing, he charged forwards, wrapping his arms around hers and tackling her to the floor, punching her felt like punching a brick wall, but, he wasn’t going to allow that to stop him, he dropped the spell that altered his senses, making sure his eyes were still shut tight, and forced his magic into his chest, bringing it to life in a way that made it feel like his insides were burning. He felt the room around them beginning to shake, knew that if he opened his eyes right now he would be blinded by the light his magic was putting out. Medusa was struggling against him, landing her own punches that made him think at least some of his ribs were going to be broken when this was over, still, he held her down, even as she kicked and screamed and fought like a demon against him. It felt like the entire building was shaking and still he held on, allowed his power to build, until, when it felt like his head was going to explode if he didn’t let go of it, he unleashed it in a direct beam heading straight for Medusa. 

Derek stumbled trying to get up the stairs when the entire building started shaking, he dreaded to think what that meant, he forced himself to keep moving even when it looked like the walls were crumbling around him, Stiles was in danger, he had to get to him. He’d just reached the top floor when there was suddenly a blinding light and the entire building shook for a final time before stilling instantly, Derek shielded his eyes, blinded by the light, eventually, what felt like minutes later but was probably only a matter of seconds later, it faded and Derek rushed through the door, desperate to see Stiles, desperate to see he was okay. 

Stiles felt Medusa crumble to dust beneath him and yet he was still too terrified to open his eyes in case it was some kind of trick, he was panting, exhausted, not sure he even had the strength to get to his feet, never mind continue the fight. A hand touched his shoulder and Stiles jumped, summoning whatever magic he had left into his fingers, ready to finish this. 

“Woah, woah, it’s me Stiles! It’s me! She’s dead. It’s over.” Derek said, looking down at the pile of ash that Stiles was sitting on top of, it was still vaguely shaped like a human and Derek didn’t even want to imagine the amount of power Stiles had to use to burn Medusa to ash. “Hey, it’s okay, she’s dead, you’re okay.” Derek said, placing a hand on Stiles’ shoulder and feeling him trembling under his touch, Stiles blinked slowly and Derek stared in awe at his eyes that were still glowing bright gold, Stiles turned and looked at him, as if he wasn’t even seeing Derek, before his eyes rolled backwards and he slumped towards the ground. “Stiles! Stiles? Can you hear me?” Derek said, catching Stiles and shaking him slightly, knowing Stiles was unconscious, he scooped him up into his arms and raced back down the stairs, ignoring the people that were still hovering around the entrance of the building and climbing into the back seat of the blacked-out car, Tony and Frank following his lead and climbing into the front seats. 

“Is it over?” 

“Yeah, she’s dead.” Derek grunted out, already pulling Stiles’ shirt off to assess the injuries he’d suffered. “You need to get us back to the hotel.” He demanded, Stiles wasn’t going to bleed out, but, still, the sooner these wounds healed the better. 

“Sure, yeah, no problem.” Tony said, turning the sirens on as they made their way to the main street, hearing the worry in Derek’s voice, it was obvious that the man cared a lot about Stiles. The hotel receptionist looked uncertain when she saw Derek carrying an unconscious Stiles through the hotel lobby, she calmed down once both Tony and Frank flashed their badges at her, explaining that Stiles was a witness in a murder investigation and they couldn’t take him to the hospital, instead they needed the first aid kit bringing up to the bedroom. 

Derek stripped Stiles to his boxers as soon as they were in the bedroom, before putting him in the bed, stripping down to his own underwear and climbing into the bed next to him, pressing their bodies together as much as possible so that Stiles could begin healing. He heard the door open a few minutes later and he knew it was Tony and Frank from their heartbeats, he couldn’t relax completely, not when Stiles was hurt, but, it was okay, they weren’t here to hurt him. 

“Is he okay?” Tony asked and Derek nodded tightly.

“He will be, he just needs to heal, to regain energy.” 

“And, this heals him?” Frank asked, indicating the fact that they were snuggled up together in bed, Derek fought the urge to growl at the older man. 

“Yeah, skin-on-skin contact makes him heal and his energy comes back quicker, this helps him.” 

“Would it help with more people?” Frank queried, hoping he sounded innocent but Derek could smell the sudden arousal coming from him. 

“No.” Derek snarled, his eyes flashing, his teeth beginning to elongate as he pulled Stiles closer to him, Frank paled, looking a little terrified before he nodded professionally. 

“Of course, is there anything we can do to help?” Tony asked with concern. 

“No, he just needs rest. I’ll get him to call you when he wakes up, but, Medusa is dead. You don’t need us anymore, we’d like to go home tomorrow, could you book us some flights?” Derek asked and Tony nodded. 

“Sure, I’ll swing by in the morning, bring you your tickets and Stiles’ payment and stuff. We’ll leave you to rest, just, let me know if you need anything.” Tony said, leaving the first aid kit by the bed and grabbing Frank’s arm and dragging him from the room, as soon as the door shut behind them Derek relaxed, snuggling closer to Stiles, inhaling his scent until he calmed enough to slip into sleep.

Stiles woke up slowly, he didn’t remember much after releasing his magic in what he prayed was a successful attempt to kill Medusa, he vaguely remembered hearing Derek’s voice, but, he wasn’t sure if that had been a dream or not, he shifted, feeling somebody’s arm tighten around his waist, pulling him closer to them, felt stubble rub across the back of his neck, he stilled, taking a moment to figure out what was going on, realising it was Derek that was spooning him, he must have been really out of it for Derek to spend the night spooning him and Stiles not being aware of any of it, he glanced down, seeing freshly healed skin on his hands and arms, his magic was there, but it was low, whatever he’d done must have been seriously powerful. 

“Stiles? You okay?” Derek muttered sleepily and Stiles felt every muscle in his body tense, Derek’s breath on the back of his neck felt so good and he couldn’t think that, he couldn’t put himself in this situation again, he couldn’t get hurt again. 

“Fine.” Stiles said, wriggling easily out of Derek’s arms and getting to his feet, ignoring the way the room spun, before he threw on a t-shirt and jeans as quickly as he could, thankfully there was a knock on the door before Stiles could do something stupid like look at Derek. 

“Morning, good to see you up and about.” Tony said in greeting, holding out a tray of coffees that Stiles took gratefully, already sipping at the first one he could get his hands on, Tony nodding at Derek in greeting. Derek waved awkwardly to Tony, glad when both Stiles and Tony moved towards the desk so he could make his way into the bathroom without either of them seeing him clearly, he really didn’t need them to see the boner that he’d woken up with, it wasn’t his fault that he’d woken up pressed up against Stiles, inhaling the scent that settled him in a way that nothing else could, it was only natural that he’d get a boner, the issue was he wasn’t sure if Stiles had felt it or not, he didn’t know if Stiles had jumped out of the bed because of that or just because of Derek, but, either way, he needed to calm it down. He took a cold shower, grateful that he could listen to Tony and Stiles discussing what had happened yesterday, before throwing on some clothes and heading back into the main room. 

“…flight is in two hours, I know Frank wanted to go out for dinner, but, can we do it next time?” Stiles was saying, glancing up at Derek as if to check he was okay even as Stiles shoved the few belongings he had scattered around the room back into his bag. 

“I’m hoping there won’t be a next time, or at least not one that involves people getting murdered.” Tony joked.

“Me too.” Derek muttered and Stiles grinned at him.

“Okay, we’ll have to have a catch up soon without murders, sound better?” Stiles said and Tony nodded. 

“That sounds great Stiles, I look forward to it, Derek, it was a pleasure to meet you. I’ll leave you to it, have a safe flight.” Tony said, shaking their hands and walking out of the room. 

Stiles had been horrified when he saw the amount of money he was being paid, sure that it wasn’t right, he actually called Tony and told them that they’d made a mistake but Tony was insistent that it was the standard amount that paid all consultants called in to help on a case, it was the same amount they’d paid the council last time Stiles had worked a case for them. 

“No wonder they always had money to spare.” Stiles muttered disgustedly. “I could live off this for a year.” He said and Derek smiled, Stiles was ridiculous sometimes, then he saw the number on the cheque and his mouth dropped open in shock, “Obviously, I’ll pay you half, seems so you did half the work.” Stiles said and Derek shook his head. 

“Not really, you were the one that fought her.” Derek explained.

“And I would have had to spend a lot more time looking for her without your nose…”

“I wouldn’t have any idea which neighbourhood to even look in if you hadn’t narrowed down the location.” Derek argued, “Look, Stiles, you worked hard, you put your life on the line, take the money, you earned it.” 

“How about sixty, forty?” Stiles suggested. 

“How about ninety, ten?” Derek compromised. 

“Der, you made the job a lot easier, you deserve more than that, what about seventy-five, twenty-five?” Stiles said, “Please? It’ll make me feel a lot better?” 

“Fine.” Derek relented, knowing Stiles wasn’t going to let this drop and already beginning to think about what he could buy with the money, something Stiles would like, it had to be something that he’d appreciate, that he’d use, maybe a rare book? He knew Stiles liked reading, maybe he could find a book that Stiles didn’t already have and he could give him that as a present? He’d have to speak to Erica, get her to find out what Stiles really wanted. 

“Great, glad that’s settled, now, don’t think I’m ignoring you or anything, but, I need to sleep, so, wake me up when we land?” Stiles said, snuggling down into his seat, making himself comfortable and going to sleep. 

Their flight was about five hours and Derek knew Stiles needed the sleep to recover properly, he was still weak from whatever he’d done to Medusa, and although the cuts he’d suffered seemed to have mainly healed there were still a few that were scabbed over, not healed completely, Derek would feel a lot better when Stiles was back to normal. Half way through the flight Stiles shifted, his head resting on Derek’s shoulder peacefully, Derek smiled softly, Stiles was so innocent looking in sleep, he thought back to last photo he’d taken of Stiles, of him sleeping in Derek’s bed, how much had changed since then, how much Stiles had changed since then. He didn’t wake him, loving the feeling of contentment he felt just by having Stiles next to him, he leaned his head back against the chair, closed his eyes and slept. 

They both jerked awake when the plane landed, Stiles blinking blearily and shifting away from Derek, looking apologetic, rubbing a hand over his eyes in exhaustion, he was so tired, god, he felt like he could sleep for a week, he didn’t know what he’d done to Medusa, but it had wiped him out, he couldn’t wait to get home, collapse into his bed, not move for several days unless it was for food. Derek at least looked more awake, it was obvious he was happy to be back in their own state, that they weren’t far from Beacon Hills now, only a short taxi ride away, they were going to call the pack and let them know they were on their way home, but, it had all been a bit of a mad rush and their flight was landing in the middle of the night, Derek didn’t want to disturb them for a twenty-minute taxi ride, so they’d agreed not to bother them. 

The plane slowed to a stop and people began grabbing their bags from above them, standing up, ready to get off the plane and get home to their families, the flight wasn’t completely full, but there were enough people that it was a bit busy when everyone stood up to retrieve their bags. Stiles stood up and swayed slightly on the spot, Derek looking at him in concern, but Stiles waved it away as nothing, okay, yeah, he was dizzy, but, he was just exhausted, another few hours sleep and he was sure he’d feel better. They moved to grab their bags when suddenly there was an announcement asking everyone to return to their seats, Stiles and Derek looked around, seeing the confusion on everyone’s faces before reluctantly returning to their seats, glancing at each other in worry. 

“Ladies and gentlemen.” A voice boomed from the front of the cabin, four men had boarded the plane, they were dressed in SWAT uniforms, helmets hiding their faces and guns drawn, Derek inhaled and he caught the scent of at least two wolves, he tensed, muttering to Stiles out of the corner of his mouth that they were werewolves, Stiles gritted his teeth, knowing they could do nothing about it with a plane full of people, instantly he used his magic to hide Derek’s scent from them but he wasn’t sure how much it would help, it was probably already too late. “There are two men on board that have aroused suspicion with the FBI, we are here to take them into headquarters, they have nothing to fear if they’ve done nothing wrong, we’d like to do this as peacefully and easily as possible but we will use force if necessary, please, for your own safety, remain seated.” 

“He’s lying.” Derek muttered, “They’re not from the FBI.” He said as the men started working their way down the aisles, looking at each passenger slowly as if they weren’t entirely sure who they were looking for, Stiles already knew it was all an act, he knew exactly who they were looking for, he recognised the voice. 

“It’s Richard.” Stiles hissed from the corner of his mouth, “He’s the one who hadn’t graduated from the council, the one who helped them kidnap me, he wasn’t there when I escaped, he’s coming for me. When they attack, I’ll create a distraction, you need to run.” 

“Run? Stiles, don’t be ridiculous, I’m not leaving you.” Derek snapped, his heart hammering loudly in his chest, they were halfway down the plane by now, they had only a matter of moments. 

“Just do it Derek. Call the pack. Tell them what’s happening. They can’t come for me if they don’t know I’m missing. I need you to get away, to get to safety.” 

“They’ll kill you.” Derek whispered. 

“They won’t, they’ll want me alive, just, you need to get away, okay?” Stiles pressed. 

“Okay.” Derek muttered, hating the very thought of it, hating the idea of leaving Stiles alone, but, he was right, if they were both taken the pack wouldn’t know to come for them. He had to get help. Two of the men had stopped in front of them, Stiles could almost see the smirks under their helmets, they knew he could do nothing to stop them right now, not with all these witnesses. He dropped the spell that hid Derek’s scent, needing to use all the magic he had in order to cause the power to fail and the lights to go out. The instant the lights went there were several nervous shouts and screams throughout the plane and Stiles felt the heat of Derek next to him vanish, he was relieved, Derek would be safe, that was all that mattered, he tried to buy him as much time as possible, tried to hold the spell for as long as he could but then something hard hit him in the side of the head and Stiles blacked out. 

Derek had climbed over several seats and was half way along the other aisle, past the two supposed SWAT officers on that side, when the lights suddenly came back on, he glanced back, seeing Stiles was unconscious in his seat, a bruise already forming on his temple as the two officers handcuffed his hands behind his back. Every atom in his body wanted him to run back to Stiles, to rip them apart for touching him, no matter what anyone else on the plane saw, but, Stiles was right, he had to get help. He ran towards the exit, barely feeling it when something like tasers hit him in the back, then there was a sudden bolt of pain, sharp, deep, it felt like something had been stabbed through his feet, pinning them to the floor, he glanced back and saw the officer who had done all the talking, Richard, holding a hand out in front of him, shouting for the others to fire again, Derek collapsed as three more tasers hit his chest and back, and then there was another bolt of pain, this time through his chest and everything faded to black around him. 

Stiles woke up feeling like his head had been split open, he groaned, moving to press a hand to his head and stilling when he realised he couldn’t move his hands, he pulled again, but there seemed to be something stopping him from pulling his hands towards him. 

“..iles? Stiles, please, come on, wake up.” Someone was saying his name, practically whispering it in his ear, he blinked a few times, trying to concentrate, “Stiles, please, wake up, Stiles.” The voice repeated and everything came back to him with sudden clarity, the plane, Richard, Derek leaving him to get help, somebody hitting him in the head. He jerked upright, or, as upright as he could with the fact there were ropes wrapped around his chest, holding him in place, he glanced down, saw a pair of hands that were bound with more rope trapped under the rope, pressed low on his stomach, he shifted slightly and felt the presence of somebody behind him, the length of their body touching Stiles’, a leg on either side of Stiles and each ankle bound with more rope to Stiles’ own. “Oh thank god.” The voice said and Stiles realised it was Derek, he could feel his hot breath against his neck and Stiles assessed that they were sat on a chair, a slightly larger than normal chair, but, still, a chair, Derek was bound with rope, no doubt laced with wolfsbane and Stiles was perched in between his legs, more on Derek’s lap than the chair itself. He reached for his magic, fully intending to release them, and stilling for a moment when his magic wasn’t there, he couldn’t access it, he pulled hard on his hands, felt Derek press into his back, felt metal cutting into his skin. “Stiles, your hands are behind my back, unless you can pull them through me, I don’t think it’s going to work.” Derek grunted, sounding like he was in pain and Stiles stilled. 

“Are you okay?” He asked and Derek nodded, resting his forehead against the back of Stiles’ neck. 

“The ropes are covered in wolfsbane, I think you have the magic trapping handcuffs on.” Derek explained and Stiles shifted as much as he could, looking around at their surroundings, trying to figure a way out. 

“I should have never invented the damn things, don’t ever let me do anything so stupid again.” He muttered murderously, they were in a room, it looked like some kind of industrial room, it wasn’t a hotel, Stiles knew that for sure, except there was a low bed across the room, the sheets disturbed, like somebody had been sleeping in it recently. There was a large mirror on the other side of the room, Stiles thought it looked like a two-way mirror, he couldn’t be sure, the only way to be sure was to get closer and that wasn’t going to happen any time soon, he twisted again, trying to spot anything he might have missed, there was only one door, one way in, one way out, that was it, there was nothing else, no obvious way out. “If we can get to the mirror we can break it, use the glass to cut through the ropes…”

“They’d stop us before we got that far.” Derek mumbled and Stiles leaned his head back, pressing into Derek as much as he could. 

“Are they watching us now?” He whispered, so quietly he wasn’t sure Derek had even heard it. 

“Not right now, but they were earlier.” He admitted. “Four of them, Richard, two wolves I don’t know but I’m assuming they’re part of Jake’s pack…”

“Jake? Jackson’s Jake?” Stiles said in surprise. 

“Yeah, he’s here too, he was one of the wolves on the plane. I think there’s more of them, a couple of other magic users and a few more wolves, and even if we get out of the ropes, they’ve got us underground, some kind of disused bunker, the walls are made of concrete and steel, and the door is practically unbreakable, even I couldn’t get us out of this room.” Derek explained and Stiles stilled, feeling like a complete idiot. He knew he’d recognised those wolves that passed them in Baltimore from somewhere, he just couldn’t place them, he knew now, they were part of Jake’s pack. He was such an idiot, he should have realised.

“We’ll find a way, okay? I’m guessing you didn’t get a chance to warn the pack?” Stiles asked and Derek shook his head sadly.

“I’m sorry, I tried, then Richard did something, it felt like something had been stabbed through my feet, that I couldn’t walk, and then he did the same thing to my chest and next thing I knew, I was waking up here.” Derek admitted. 

“Okay, don’t worry, we’ll figure it out, there’ll be a way out.” Stiles said, twisting as much as he could to see if there was something he’d missed, there had to be a way out of this, there had to be. 

“Stiles. Can you please. Stop. Wriggling.” Derek said through gritted teeth sounding pained. 

“Sorry, sorry, is the rope cutting into you? How strong is it? There’s no way you can break it, is there?” Stiles asked, still shifting slightly. 

“The rope isn’t the problem. Please, God, stop moving.” Derek said and Stiles froze, not sure what he was doing to cause Derek pain, he tried shifting back slightly, okay, yeah, he’d be sat on Derek’s lap, but, maybe the ropes wouldn’t be causing him so much discomfort if there wasn’t so much tension on them, they were too tight to pull off, he knew that, but, still, anything he could do to help. However, as soon as he moved he felt it, Derek was hard underneath his ass, incredibly hard, and Stiles froze, cheeks heating in embarrassment. 

“Sorry.” Stiles muttered, trying not to get aroused by the feeling, mainly because Derek’s hands were so close to his own crotch that as soon as hic cock twitched even the slightest bit Derek would feel it, and that was if he somehow missed the stench of arousal that Stiles would no doubt put out, no, he could not think about how good it felt, “I mean, it’s totally a normal reaction, I mean, not to me, as in, like, not that you’re reacting to me, just, you know, somebody sitting on your lap, that’s a normal reaction to have, so, don’t like, go feeling bad or whatever, so, like, obviously I’m going to stay still, but we need to find a way out of here, preferably before they come back, so, we need to think, maybe if I can get low enough, can you bring your hands up at all? I could maybe try undoing the knots with my teeth?” Stiles suggested, bending forwards in an attempt to reach Derek’s wrists. The ropes across their chests cut in and Derek let out a groan, Stiles wasn’t sure if it was pain or something else because he’d definitely pressed his ass back a little in an attempt to get closer to the ropes. It was obvious it wasn’t going to work but Stiles couldn’t just sit here and wait for them to come back, not when they were both powerless to stop them and the pack didn’t even know they were home and, fuck, what the fuck were they going to do?

“Stiles,” Derek whispered, leaning forward and grabbing Stiles’ ear lobe with his teeth, Stiles stilled and, when Derek leaned backwards so they were sitting upright, Stiles went with him easily, “They’re coming back, I can hear them coming.” Derek muttered, letting go of Stiles’ ear and Stiles seriously needed to question his personality, because, why did that turn him on so freaking much? It was idiotic. 

“What are they saying?” Stiles asked, arching his head back, the back of his head resting on Derek’s shoulder, blocking Derek’s mouth from view of the mirror. 

“They’re talking about how they’re going to handle this, now you’re awake, how best to break you, to get your magic.” Derek hissed, hating that they were talking about Stiles, they weren’t even interested in hurting Derek, this was all about Stiles, nothing Derek could say would distract them from Stiles and it was going to drive him insane. 

“I’d like to see them try.” Stiles remarked loudly, leaning away from Derek and turning towards the mirror, “What’s up Dick? Haven’t got any of your own magic so you’re trying to find a way to steal mine? You remember what happened to the last lot of people that tried that, don’t you?” He said, smirking almost ferally at the mirror, Derek thought he looked kind of unhinged, he knew it shouldn’t turn him on, but it definitely did, something about Stiles’ confidence, it made Derek feel hopeful. 

There was silence for a few minutes and then Richard and Jake walked into the room, both of them smirking widely, Stiles tensed up slightly, sitting up as straight as he could, as if to make himself the prime target, Derek wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to do that, they were already only interested in him. Jake took a step forward, reaching out to cup Stiles’ jaw almost tenderly, Stiles glared at him and Derek snarled from behind Stiles, pulling on the ropes as best he could and getting nowhere. 

“This is how it’s going to go,” Richard began and Stiles turned slightly to glare at him, Jake still hadn’t removed his fingers from Stiles’ jaw and Derek kept his gaze on the other Alpha, growling dangerously, “You’re going to pay for destroying the council, by the time we’re finished you’re going to beg for death.” 

“Bring it on.” Stiles said. 

“You know, you’re underestimating me, as soon as you killed the council I went to the one person who I knew would be as happy to see you powerless as I would be, and when I explained that I could provide him with a pair of handcuffs that would trap your magic, well, he was more than a little intrigued, in fact, he was willing to tell me anything I wanted to know, anything that Jackson had told him over the years, it’s how I know that if I really want to hurt you, if I want you to do exactly as I say, I don’t go after you, I go after those you care about, and who do you really care about more than your dad and Erica?” 

“If you touch either of them I’ll rip your spine straight out of your body with my bare hands.” Stiles snarled sounding so dangerous that Jake actually dropped his hand away from Stiles. 

“The trouble we’re having right now is finding them, which is where Derek here comes in.”

“I’m not telling you shit.” Derek growled, he would never give up his pack, never, not in a million years. 

“Oh, we didn’t expect you to, at least, not without a little magical assistance. Jake here says that most Alpha’s will do anything to protect their pack, including die if necessary, the pack is their biggest weakness, and, it just so happens, I know a way to get all the information on that weakness out of you.” Richard explained and Stiles pulled against the ropes again, Derek guessed from that reaction that whatever Richard was planning to do wasn’t going to be pleasant. 

“And Jake gets what out of this? What did you promise his pack? Because, whatever it is, I guarantee you, he’s lying, he won’t give it to you.” Derek said.

“He told me I could get revenge on the person who humiliated me, who stole a beta right out of my fingertips, who made me look weak by refusing to even consider me as a mate.” He said, reaching out to touch Stiles’ cheek again, Stiles pulled out of his reach as best he could and Derek pulled hard on the ropes binding his wrists, he couldn’t let Jake hurt Stiles. “Of course, we have to take your magic first, once that’s gone you won’t be able to fight back, well, not successfully, then we’ll go back to London, I’ve already got a plane waiting, ready to take us home, then I’ll really make you pay for ever turning me down, until, eventually, you’ll beg me to let you be my mate.” 

“You see, the problem with that is that this fucking idiot,” Stiles said, nodding his head in Richard’s direction, “Has no idea how to take my magic, so whatever plans you have, just be aware, I’m going to fuck them up so bad, and then, then I’m going to kill you, just like I told you I would when you threatened to kill Jackson.” 

“I love your optimism, but, believe me, first we’re going to break Derek and when we’ve got the packs location, then we’re going to break you.” Jake said, leaning in close and tightening his grip on Stiles’ jaw to the point that there were going to be bruises. “And I’m going to have a lot of fun breaking you, nearly as much fun as I’m going to have fucking you.”

“Keep dreaming.” Stiles retorted but Derek could smell the sudden worry emitting from Stiles, he tightened his grip on Stiles, no way, not a chance, if Jake wanted to rape Stiles he was going to have to tear Derek’s arms off first, Stiles seemed to relax against him slightly, as if he knew what Derek was trying to do and it offered them both some comfort. 

“So, what do we need to cast this spell?” Jake said turning to Richard. 

“I have most of the ingredients down the hall, I just need some of his hair and then we just have to cast it.” Richard explained. 

“Lets get it over with, the sooner I have Stiles powerless the better.” Jake snapped, ripping out a chunk of Derek’s hair and moving towards the door. 

“Are they gone?” Stiles asked a moment later and Derek paused before eventually nodding. “Good, okay, listen to me, they can’t know where the pack are, they’re going to use a spell to get you to confess your biggest weakness, it’s going to feel like a thousand needles are being stabbed into every inch of your body and you’re going to want to tell them, but, you can’t. You just can’t Derek. If they find the pack they’ll kill them or worse. I’ll help you through it as best I can, just, try and focus on my voice, it won’t take away the pain, but, if you really concentrate, it might be able to distract you from the urge to confess. The spell doesn’t last that long and it’s a one-time thing, if you can resist it the first time, it won’t work on you if they try it again, so, just get through it okay? I’ll be right here with you. But, you can’t tell them where the pack are, not under any circumstances, okay?” Stiles said sounding worried and Derek nodded numbly. 

“What if,” He paused, feeling sick to his stomach, “What if the pack aren’t my biggest weakness?” 

“Of course they are. You can’t lie your way out of this Derek, the spell will force you to confess your real biggest weakness, you can’t pretend it’s something or someone else.” 

“No, Stiles, I wouldn’t be pretending, I, um, the pack isn’t my biggest weakness.” Derek whispered, sounding so worried that Stiles thought he might actually believe him. 

“Okay, well, actually, hey, this could work in our favour, I mean, it’s still going to be shit for you and it’s going to hurt, but, if you confess, which you won’t because I’ll talk you through it and all that, but, if you do, the pack won’t be in danger. And, like, if you’re biggest weakness is fire or whatever, totally understandable by the way, they can’t use that to find the pack, and they want us alive, which means they’re not going to set us on fire, so, this is good news.” Stiles rambled. 

“No, no it’s not.” Derek muttered and Stiles paused, turning to look at him as much as he could and Derek looked at him sorrowfully, “I lied to you Stiles, that morning in the loft, I lied…”

“I know you did, you told me I wasn’t pack when I was, we’ve been over this, I know I’m pack now, it’s okay, you don’t need to feel guilty or whatever…”

“No, that’s not, just listen, okay?” He asked and Stiles nodded, pressing his lips together in an effort to stop his questions, “I lied,” Derek took a heavy breath and Stiles felt it on the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine, “I lied because I needed you to be safe and you weren’t a liability, not once, you saved my life, saved the lives of the pack, brought the pack together, god, you were never a liability, and this stupid idea you have in your head, about it was because you weren’t good enough, that’s just, no, no it’s ridiculous, you’re the best person, you’re the best of all of us, you’ve always looked out for us and god, I’m not good enough Stiles, I’m not good enough for you, you deserve so much better, you deserve the best, because you’re incredible, you’re amazing, you’re just, you’re perfect in every single way, and hurting you like that, I didn’t, it was the worst thing I could possibly have done to you, but, I just, I knew you wouldn’t believe me if I didn’t hurt you, so I had to hurt you, because god, Stiles, because I’d do anything for you, because that night together was perfect and I woke up and I was so fucking happy and then I saw your clothes were still wet from where the kelpie nearly drowned you and I saw photos of my family before the fire and all I could think was that if I asked you to stay, if I asked you to be part of my world, you’d die, if you were close to me then you’d have a target on your back and it would be my fault because I can’t protect anybody I care about and I love you, I love you so much and you, you’re my biggest weakness, and I couldn’t bear the thought of you getting hurt so I pushed you away, I made sure to say things that would hurt you because I knew you were too stubborn to stay away otherwise and I needed you to be safe and when the pack found out, they hated me, they really hated me for a while there, they wanted me to tell you the truth, but, I thought you were off at college and you were happy and having a normal life and that’s all I wanted for you and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I should have never lied to you, but, I wanted you to be safe, I wanted you happy, and I messed up, I know that, I knew it the instant you walked out of the loft, but all I could think was that I had to protect you, you had to be safe, out of all of us, you had to be the one that lived, that got to be happy because I wouldn’t survive if anything happened to you and I’m sorry, Stiles, I’m so sorry, I’m, I’ll never be able to say sorry enough for all the pain I’ve caused you, but, I am, I am so fucking sorry Stiles.” Derek rambled, the words bursting out of him, as if he’d been dying to say them for years, Stiles guessed he probably had been. 

Stiles was silent, he was trying to process everything Derek had just said, he couldn’t believe it, it didn’t make sense, but, it also did, because of course Derek would sacrifice his own happiness in a deluded attempt to keep others safe, that was what he always did, just Stiles never thought, he couldn’t believe, it didn’t, Derek loved him? He thought that night was perfect? As he processed Derek’s words it all began to slot into place, the pack hadn’t lied to him, they’d been ordered by their Alpha to keep Derek’s feelings a secret, to protect Stiles. Of course that made so much more sense, it wasn’t that they all thought Stiles was weak, or that he hadn’t proven himself to them over and over, it was because Derek cared about him? He loved him? He wanted him safe? It made sense but Stiles still couldn’t understand it and he couldn’t believe it. 

“Stiles? Can you say something please?” Derek asked after almost ten minutes of silence. 

“You’re really lucky I’m tied up right now because the urge to punch you in the face is so strong.” Stiles muttered murderously. 

“I’m sorry Stiles, honestly, I’m truly sorry. I know, I know that makes up for nothing, but, you have to believe me when I say I didn’t want to hurt you.” 

“I don’t HAVE to do anything Derek.” Stiles snarled, “You didn’t want to hurt me? You just chose to do it? Really, what’s worse?” 

“I didn’t, I wasn’t think straight Stiles, I just, all I could think about was you dying because of me, because you were close to me, and you asked me for a date and I…”

“A date Derek, a freaking DATE! It wasn’t like it was a marriage proposal!” Stiles seethed.

“I know, I know, I made a mistake, but I swear to you the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, I care about you Stiles, more than I can ever say, I love you, I love talking to you and making jokes with you, I love…”

“Shut up Derek, just, fucking shut up.” Stiles muttered sounding on the verge of tears and Derek stilled not wanting to upset Stiles any further, “You said that it was just because I was there, it would have been Lydia or Isaac or Kira, I was just the one that was there.” 

“I was lying Stiles, it’s you, it’s always been you, I just, I thought if you knew that I loved you, you’d never let me push you away, I had to…”

“Right, so you keep saying.” Stiles said sounding bitter. 

“There’s not been anyone else since Stiles, I know you think something happened with Lydia, but, it didn’t, and I wouldn’t, I just, nobody compares to you.” Derek explained. 

“I can’t deal with this right now Derek. I can’t. Just, stop talking, please stop.” Stiles whispered, his voice sounding tear-filled and his face pointedly in the opposite direction so that Derek couldn’t look at it, couldn’t see the pain and betrayal in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, please don’t, I get that you hate me, but, don’t blame the pack, I made them swear to keep it a secret from you, it’s not their fault.” 

“I know it’s not. It’s yours.” Stiles replied bitterly, he was almost shaking in Derek’s arms and Derek knew this was all his fault, Stiles was crumbling in front of his very eyes and it was all his fault. His wolf whined unhappily, not knowing how to comfort Stiles, Stiles was hurting and in pain and it was their fault, they needed to fix this, they needed to make him happy, Derek hugged him as best he could in their bound state and Stiles leaned against him, sucking in gasps of air as he sobbed silently, Derek could smell the salt even if he couldn’t see the tears, this was his fault, it was all his fault. Stiles took a few steadying breaths, pulling himself together, “We are going to get out of here and then we are going to talk about this and I am going to punch you, possibly repeatedly, so be prepared for that.” Stiles said and Derek let out an unsteady laugh. 

“Okay, your dad did that already, he broke my nose, he also broke two of his fingers but he said it was worth it.” Derek admitted and Stiles huffed out a laugh that was filled with sadness. 

“I’m not intending on breaking any of my bones, I can’t say the same for yours.” 

“Stiles, I’m sorry.” 

“So you’ve said.” Stiles replied, “Look, it’s still the same principle, if you confess, the pack will still be safe, so, don’t worry…”

“If I confess, you’ll be in danger.” Derek argued. 

“I don’t matter.” Stiles snapped, “They’re going to hurt me anyway, we already know that, all that matters is that the pack are safe, but,” He paused, “If they find out, they might decide you’re expendable, that you aren’t of any use to them,” He sounding panicked, like this thought had only just occurred to him, “You can’t tell them, you can’t say a word, okay?” 

“Okay.” Derek said, nodding tightly, feeling more terrified than he ever had in his life, he stilled, “They’re coming back.” He could hear them approaching, it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest, god, Stiles was in danger, if he said anything, Stiles would be the one to pay, he pressed his lips tightly together, knowing nothing they did would be able to get Derek to give up Stiles. 

“Don’t tell me that the child prodigy has been crying?” Richard smirked, “I know, I’d cry too if I was you, knowing what’s about to happen.” He taunted, holding up the bottle in his hands and shaking it in front of Stiles’ face. 

“You’re not going to give him anything…”

“Really? And why’s that?” 

“Because I won’t let you.” Stiles snarled and both Jake and Richard laughed loudly. 

“How exactly are you going to stop me? You’re tied to a chair, I have magic and an Alpha werewolf on my side, what exactly can you do to stop me from doing whatever I want?” Richard said and Stiles smiled, indicating that Richard should lean in to hear.

“I thought you would have learned by now when I’m backed into a corner,” Stiles lowered his voice and Richard leaned closer, “That’s when I’m at my most dangerous.” Stiles reared his head back and headbutted Richard square in the middle of his face, feeling his nose burst on impact, Richard stumbled backwards in shock, dropping the bottle as his hands went instinctively to his nose, Stiles stamped on the bottle as hard as he could, hearing it shatter under his shoe and feeling instantly triumphant. 

“You little shit.” Jake shouted, backhanding Stiles across the face, splitting his lip open even as Derek growled uselessly from behind him. 

“He broke my fucking nose!” Richard spat through the blood and Stiles smirked. 

“And if you were any kind of decent caster you’d be able to fix it, but, you’re not, such a shame.” He said sarcastically and Richard stomped forward, punching Stiles hard across the other cheek. 

“Stop it!” Derek shouted, pulling on the ropes and grimacing when they just dug deeper into his skin. 

“We can just make another batch, right?” Jake said and Richard pinched his nose, trying to stop the blood. 

“Yeah you can make another batch, can’t you Dick? Except, I’m pretty sure a lot of those ingredients are rare, like, you’re going to have to go out and get more and then rebrew it, oh, it’s going to take you a good few hours, maybe even a day or two, am I right?” Stiles mocked.

“Is he right?” Jake snarled. “Will it take that long?”

“Unfortunately, yes, I can get more ingredients from a shop nearby, but, it’ll need to rebrew which will take a few hours.” Richard admitted.

“You promised me this would be resolved by tonight, that Stiles would have given up his magic, that I could have him.” Jake snarled. 

“You can have him right now, with those cuffs on he’s as helpless as a new born kitten, but he doesn’t leave this room until I get his magic, there’s a bed, you might as well make use of it.” Richard retorted before storming out of the room leaving Jake looking at Stiles appraisingly. Jake moved forward, studying the ropes for a moment before he stood up again and walked towards the door, shouting for someone called Pete to come help him. A young man appeared in the doorway, he was obviously another caster and not a werewolf and Stiles felt panic begin to surge through him as Jake ordered Pete to remove the ropes that bound Derek and Stiles together. Derek clung on as tight as he could, his arms pulling Stiles close to his chest, holding him as tightly as he could in an effort to protect him as, between the two of them, they managed to separate Stiles and Derek from their bindings without giving them any opportunity to escape, Pete stilling them with magic whenever there was even the slightest chance of them getting their hands free. 

“No, stop, leave him alone.” Derek shouted, trying to cling on to any part of Stiles that he could reach as Jake pulled him off Derek, even as Stiles fought against him, doing his best to stay with Derek, but he was severely hindered by the fact his hands were still handcuffed behind his back, “Get off him!” Derek shouted, pulling against the ropes violently but having no luck. 

“Aww, is Alpha Hale all protective of you?” Jake smirked, dismissing Pete from the room and shoving Stiles towards the bed, Stiles stumbled slightly and went down on one knee, trying to push himself back up when Jake shoved his head down towards the mattress, bending him over the end of the bed, laughing as Stiles tried to shove him off. “You know that’s going to make this more fun for me, I did say we could trade after all, Jackson for you, this seems fair, don’t you think?” Jake taunted, turning back to look at Derek even as he grabbed Stiles’ ass. 

“Get your fucking hands off him.” Derek snarled. 

“Are you jealous? Stupid question, I can smell it. You’re jealous that I’m touching him.” Jake remarked, allowing his claws to protrude just enough that he could rip through Stiles’ shirt, easily removing the shredded remains and throwing them to the floor. “How jealous do you think he’s going to get when I fuck you?” 

“I really doubt you’re going to live long enough to find out.” Stiles growled dangerously, kicking out with satisfaction when he heard Jake’s knee shatter under the impact. The wolf went down hard, howling in pain and Stiles rolled out of his reach, kicking him again in the head before he rushed back towards Derek, he sat down on his lap, trying to feel for the knots that bound his hands and struggling to undo them even as Jake started to get back to his feet.

“Stiles, move, you’ve got to move.” Derek said, feeling helpless as Jake stumbled towards Stiles, Stiles jumped out of the way at the last second and Jake snarled, chasing after him and slamming him face first into the nearest wall. 

“You’ll pay for that.” 

“You first.” Stiles replied, placing his feet against the base of the wall and pushing back hard, they both fell backwards, Jake hit the ground first and Stiles landed on top of him, knocking the wind out of him, Stiles scrambled back to his feet, swaying unsteadily as he tried to get his balance and move back towards Derek. He was almost certain that he’d nearly got the first knot undone when Jake grabbed hold of his shoulder and threw him hard to the floor with enough force that Stiles heard something snap he just wasn’t sure what it was, his body was flooded with adrenaline, he was running on pure fear and force of will, he rolled onto his back, kicking out at Jake when he tried to get too close, Stiles backed up, hitting the wall behind him and using it to help him back to his feet. Jake charged at him and Stiles barely dodged out of the way, he felt Jake grab his handcuffs and yank him backwards and there was a sudden pain in his shoulder as he was flung backwards into the wall and his head connected solidly, his vision whiting out for a second as he slid down the wall, he could hear Derek shouting but it sounded very far away, Jake pulled him back to his feet and shoved him into the wall, and then Stiles was aware of lips on his, of a tongue trying to force its way into his mouth, he bit down, hard, and heard Jake curse pulling away from him, Stiles lowered his shoulder and slammed into Jake, knocking him backwards towards he bed and Jake stumbled, falling and smacking his head on the corner. Stiles moved back towards Derek, ignoring the way that his head throbbed and his vision blurred, stumbling to Derek and almost falling into his lap, reaching for the knots with shaking fingers. 

“You’re bleeding Stiles, your head is bleeding.” Derek muttered and Stiles shrugged, he couldn’t talk right now, he wasn’t sure he had the energy left. “Stiles! Stay with me!” Derek shouted and Stiles blinked, surprised to find himself slumped on Derek’s shoulder, “Come on, you’re nearly there Stiles, just a couple more knots, just keep going, a few more knots and then we can get out of here.” Derek said, hoping to reassure Stiles, trying to block out the scent of his blood, focusing instead on his heart beat, it helped to keep him calm, helped to block out the pain from where the ropes burned his skin. Stiles was yanked backwards off him and thrown to the floor again, Jake was stood behind him, panting with rage, blood marking the back of his neck. 

“You little shit, I’m really going to enjoy fucking you, I hope you know that, I’m going to enjoy having you beg me.”

“I don’t beg for anyone.” Stiles retorted, rolling over to try and get back to his feet, Jake moved forward and kicked him hard in the stomach and Stiles felt like all the wind had been knocked out of him as he gasped for breath, coughing and spluttering as he tried to get his air back. 

“Ready to beg yet?” Jake remarked and Stiles managed to get to his knees, looking up at Jake who stood above him with a smirk on his features. 

“Nope.” Stiles replied, headbutting Jake in the groin and laughing as the man dropped to the ground, clutching his crotch and groaning with pain. Stiles moved back towards Derek, determined to get him free when Jake wolfed out, his eyes going red, his claws protruding as he lunged as Stiles, tackling him to the ground, his claws tearing into Stiles’ hip and side as they fell to the floor.

“You little fucker.” Jake snarled, ripping at Stiles’ jeans as Derek shouted for him to stop and Stiles struggled against him as best he could despite the fact he was barely conscious.

“Stop, please, god, don’t!” Derek shouted, practically begged, he couldn’t, he had to do something to help Stiles. Stiles shoved backwards, knocking Jake off him, ignoring the steady throb of pain that pulsed through his whole body, kicking Jake as hard as he could in the balls again, rolling onto his knees and trying to get back to his feet when the door opened and Pete and Richard both stepped in. 

“What the fuck is going on here!?” Richard shouted, looking at Stiles who was barely staying upright but was obviously on his way to free Derek and Jake who was sat on the floor, still holding his balls with tears in his eyes. “I said you could have some fun with him, not kill him. I need him alive and conscious to get his magic.” 

“I think I’d rather be unconscious than listen to the sound of your voice.” Stiles said and Richard laughed dryly before punching Stiles across the face and knocking him to the ground. 

“You think you’re so fucking smart.” Richard snarled, kicking Stiles when he was down and Stiles coughed for breath, his chest burning with pain, his head was spinning, he really wanted to go to sleep now. “Get him up.” Stiles was aware of hands on his shoulders, pulling him to his feet but he was so tired, he could barely keep his legs under him, he was shoved roughly downwards and he slumped forwards, feeling the heat of a body underneath him but he was too tired, too exhausted to open his eyes, he just wanted to sleep. 

Derek had to watch helplessly as Pete and Jake dragged Stiles to his feet, Stiles was barely conscious, it was obvious Jake was planning on dumping Stiles on the bed, on raping him while he couldn’t even attempt to defend himself, instead Richard glared at him and stood in his path, pointing him back towards the chair and Derek huffed slightly as Stiles’ dead weight was dropped into his lap. Stiles forehead hit his shoulder and Derek glared as Pete and Jake went about tying them up again, this time tying Stiles so that he was the one straddling Derek, their chests pressed tight together, Jake grabbed Stiles’ ass several times during the process but Stiles didn’t even stir and Derek just growled at him. 

“He looks good like this.” Jake commented once they were tied up, “I could fuck him just like this, what do you think? Would you like that? I think you would, whenever I fucked into him, you’d feel it, I’d love to see how badly you react to that, me fucking him on top of you, you getting to feel every second of it, and when he wakes up, god, when he wakes up, he’ll scream, he’ll beg and you won’t be able to help him, won’t be able to stop me, yeah, I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Jake said, reaching for his belt.

“Not right now you’re not. I already told you, I need him alive and conscious to give up his magic, you’re going to let him heal, you can fuck him as much as you like once I’ve got his magic, until then keep it in your pants.” Richard scolded and Jake glared at him before letting go of his belt and storming out of the room.

Richard rolled his eyes before practically shoving Pete out of the door, checking the ropes once again, tightening them slightly with magic and Derek grunted slightly as the ropes around their chests cut in tight enough that his skin was burning where the wolfsbane touched it and he couldn’t breathe properly without feeling the press of Stiles’ chest against his own. 

“Behave yourself and I won’t have to kill you.” Richard snapped before he left the room, pulling the door shut behind him and Derek heard the lock slide into place, at least they were safe, for now they were safe. He looked at Stiles, or, what he could see of Stiles, which was mainly his neck and part of his jaw, there was blood staining the back of Stiles’ neck, no doubt from the head wound, more running down his side from where Jake’s claws had dug in, his shoulder looked swollen and angry looking, like something was broken, and there was bruising across his cheek, arms and chest especially his ribs, Derek was worried some of his ribs were broken, he was unconscious and Derek was scared, despite the fact he could hear the steady beating of Stiles’ heart he was still scared, Stiles could have a concussion or bleeding on the brain, he could die from blood loss, or infection could set in, there were just way too many variables. Derek did the only thing he could think to do, he pulled on the ropes as much as he could, pulling his head and shoulders back enough that Stiles’ head dropped forward and into his chest, Derek leaned back in, pressing their lips together and allowing Stiles to drain his energy. He kissed Stiles, fighting back the wave of weakness he felt, relief sweeping through him when he caught sight of the red lines on his skin, if they were there it meant it was working, Stiles was healing. 

Stiles blinked open his eyes slowly, surprised to see Derek’s staring intently at him, he felt lips pressed against his own and he pulled away startled, barely getting an inch backwards before ropes cut into his skin and he grimaced in pain. 

“Woah, sorry, I just, you were unconscious, I didn’t know what to do.” Derek whispered, his breath hitting Stiles’ cheek. 

“It’s fine.” Stiles replied, trying to assess the damage, his head still ached so he knew that wasn’t fully healed, the bleeding at his side seemed to have stopped which he was grateful for, he was pretty sure his shoulder or something was dislocated if the way it throbbed was any indication and some of his ribs were definitely broken but healing, his whole body ached in pain but at least he was awake and he was pretty sure all the bleeding had stopped for now, as soon as he moved it would probably be a different situation, but, for now, he was okay. “Are they gone?” He muttered. 

“For now. Richard is going to make some more of that potion, once it’s done, they’ll be back.” 

“Okay, how long was I out?” 

“Not long, five minutes or so.” 

“Good, we have time.” Stiles said, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head.

“Time? Time for what Stiles?” 

“Time for us to figure out a way out of here. We just, we have to get out of here.” Stiles said almost desperately, pulling against the ropes that bound them and causing them both to grimace with pain. “Fuck.” Stiles cursed, hating that he felt so weak, that his magic was trapped by the cuffs, if he could just get them off somehow, he pulled uselessly, Derek grunting when the metal dug into his back. 

“Stiles, Stiles, it’s not going to work.” He sighed, pulling on his own wrists that were behind Stiles’ back, tied in amongst the ropes that bound the two of them together, the rope was slick with Stiles’ blood from the wound at his hip and, unbelievably, Derek felt them give the slightest bit. “Wait, wait, stop a second.” Derek said, making Stiles freeze in place before he pulled on the ropes again. He tried again and again, there was just the littlest bit of give, it wasn’t enough, he wasn’t strong enough to break them, “Dammit.” He cursed, throwing back his head in anger, in despair. “There’s a bit of give, but, I’m not, I’m not strong enough to break them.” He confessed guiltily. 

“It’s okay, we’ll come up with another plan.” Stiles muttered, looking around at the room, looking anywhere but at Derek, Derek on the other hand, began to form an idea, one that Stiles would probably hate him for even suggesting, but, still, it was an idea, it might work, it might get them out of here. 

“Stiles, I have an idea.” Derek whispered, terrified that Stiles was going to shut it down before he even got the words out. 

“I’m all ears Der.” Stiles said, still looking around the room for something useful to help them escape. 

“If I was stronger, if I had more strength, more energy, then I could break the ropes, I know I could.” 

“Great, except you don’t, so we’re back to square one.” Stiles remarked sarcastically. 

“What if there’s a way for me to get more energy?” Derek suggested. 

“How exactly are you going to do that? In case you hadn’t noticed we’re tied up in a locked room with nobody coming to help us, how are you going to get more ener…” Stiles trailed off, his mind reaching the same conclusion Derek had already reached, “So I’m a bit slow on the uptake here, but I’m pretty sure I have a concussion so it’s not my fault, but, let me get this right, I give myself an energy boost and you get the excess and then you can break the ropes?” 

“That’s kind of what I was thinking yeah.” Derek admitted, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. 

“Okay, few issues, one, I can’t control the excess, I’ll give a boost to anyone in the immediate vicinity, two, even if it breaks the ropes then we’re still trapped in this room and three, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little incapable of getting my hands anywhere near myself to give myself a boost.” Stiles listed and Derek paused before replying. 

“One, there’s not that many people in the vicinity, not that I can hear anyway, and, have you ever like tried to direct that excess? Like, direct it towards me? Two, at least we won’t be in ropes and you’ll have your magic back, we’ll find a way out. I know we will. And three, seriously? You honestly need your hands to get yourself off?” Derek raised an eyebrow and Stiles huffed out a laugh before turning serious. 

“I’ve never tried to direct the excess, I usually try to avoid doing it anywhere where there’s anybody around.” Stiles admitted. 

“Okay, well, maybe you could give it a go? Give me the excess and I’ll get out of the ropes and then get you out of those cuffs.” Derek said, glad Stiles hadn’t instantly dismissed the idea. 

“Even if I said yes, which I’m not doing by the way, there’s still the issue of the fact that my hands are behind your back.” Stiles replied. 

“And like I said, you don’t need your hands to get off, I can, I can help you.” Derek said and Stiles narrowed his eyes at him. 

“I’m still so mad at you.” Stiles said, “So, don’t go thinking that if I agree to this that you’re forgiven, because you’re not, you lied to me and you hurt me and you pushed me away and you left me alone, made me think that none of you thought I was good enough to be around you guys, so, yeah, you’re so not forgiven.” 

“I know, I’m just, it’s an idea? It’s better than sitting here waiting for them to come back, right?” Derek whispered hesitantly and Stiles pursed his lips, deep in thought before finally he nodded tightly. 

“Fine, but, just, this is just a means to an end, this isn’t personal, it’d happen with whoever was here, got it?” Stiles said, feeling oddly smug when Derek winced as if those words caused him physical pain, “Yeah, not very nice to be told that anybody will do and you’re just their way to blow off some steam, is it?” 

“Stiles, I’m so fucking sorry.” Derek said and Stiles gritted his teeth. 

“So you’ve said, look, let’s just, let’s do this.” Stiles replied. 

“Okay, how do you want to…” Derek’s question was cut off by Stiles’ lips pressed against his own, Stiles ground his hips forwards at the same time and Derek growled against his lips because that felt so good, already it felt so fucking good. Derek thrust his hips upwards and Stiles groaned, grinding his crotch into Derek’s, both of them enjoying the sensation, Derek opened his mouth, allowing Stiles’ tongue access to his mouth, he shifted his hands, just about able to cup Stiles’ ass in his hands, he grabbed his ass and pulled him closer, pressing their crotches together, Stiles gasped into his mouth, kissing him more desperately as Derek held him as tightly as he could, pulling him as close as he could, grinding into each other hungrily, desperately. Derek’s cock was throbbing, twitching at the friction, of the feel of Stiles grinding against him, his tongue in Derek’s mouth, his lips against his own, god, he was so fucking horny and this felt so good and fuck, Stiles was just the most amazing kisser, it was just, he was incredible, he could feel Stiles’ hard cock through his jeans, knew Stiles was just as aroused by this. He kept telling himself that this was just to get the energy boost, that Stiles was only doing this to get them out of here, that, really, Stiles would do this with whoever was here, he knew that, but, still, it didn’t change the fact that it was him, that right now Stiles was kissing him, was grinding against him, was groaning into his mouth, was nibbling and biting at his jaw, at his ear, at his neck, “Oh fuck, Stiles, shit.” Derek groaned, leaning his head back and allowing Stiles as much access to his throat as he liked because, dear god that was amazing. 

“That’s it, fuck, Derek, god.” Stiles muttered against his skin, pressing himself closer, grinding into him harder, faster. “Oh god.” Stiles moaned, this felt so good, and, god, he was mad at Derek, so fucking mad, but, god, it felt so good, and Derek was kissing him like his life depended on it, like he’d never get another chance, Stiles wasn’t sure he would, even if they got out of this, he wasn’t sure how he felt, he cared about Derek, he was sure he was still in love with Derek, no matter how many times he’d tried to convince himself he was over him over the years, but, Derek had hurt him, on purpose, and then lied about it, for years, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do when they got out of here, but, first, they needed to get out of here. He forgot about everything Derek had or hadn’t done, instead just kissing him, focusing on the sensation of his lips, on the feel of his cock pressing into Stiles’, of him thrusting his hips upwards as if he was trying to thrust into Stiles, god, Jesus, it felt so good. 

“Stiles, shit, please.” Derek begged, not sure what he was begging for, just, he needed more, god, he was so close, so fucking close, he just, he needed, shit, he needed… “Stiles, please, oh god, oh god, Stiles.” Derek moaned as Stiles ground their hips together, they were both panting, their breaths uneven, their chests heaving as they both built towards their orgasms. 

“Der, oh, fuck, shit, god, Der, I’m going to, I’m going to…” 

“That’s it Stiles, please, please god, cum for me, please, I need you, I need you to cum for me, please.” Derek pleaded, his hips stuttering out of rhythm as his own orgasm built. 

“Shit, don’t, don’t say things like that…” Stiles panted, sounding equally happy and destroyed in the same breath. “Fuck, Derek, oh god, oh my god…” 

“Stiles, shit, please, fuck, I’m going to, fuck, I’m going to cum, Stiles, I’m going to cum.” Derek gasped out, it was enough to send Stiles over the edge, hearing Derek gasping out his name, hearing his desperate pleas, his mutterings, Stiles was the one that was pushing Derek over the edge and it was that thought that sent Stiles spiralling into his own orgasm. He was aware enough that he grabbed onto the burst of energy as it flooded through him and attempted to redirect it towards Derek, needing him to have it, needing him to use it to get them out of here.

Derek’s orgasm flooded through him, he felt Stiles still above him a moment later, knowing his own orgasm was overwhelming him, he had one brief second to feel like his brain had imploded from his orgasm before he was hit with a wave of energy unlike anything he’d ever felt before, whatever Stiles had given them before it was nothing, nothing, compared to this, it was like being hit by a semi, it was so much power it was unreal, his vision went red, his teeth elongating, his claws extending until they nearly dug into Stiles’ ass. He pulled on the ropes, feeling them strain, tense and then snap under his strength. 

They stayed panting against each other for a moment, Stiles’ sweaty forehead resting against his neck, his breaths hitting Derek’s throat and Derek felt so content, he didn’t even care that they were still prisoners, that they were still trapped in this godforsaken room, all he could think of was Stiles, his mate, being here with him, this was right, this was so right, he was so happy, his wolf was so happy, this was how life was supposed to be. 

Stiles pulled away, leaning backwards to give Derek some space, breathing freely for the first time now that the ropes had been removed, he climbed off him as gently as he could, ignoring the throbs of pain in his body, he’d expected them to dull once he’d had his orgasm, instead it felt like all his energy was gone, like he’d shoved all of it into Derek. His vision was swirling uncomfortably even as he climbed to his feet, maybe, once his got the cuffs off, he’d feel better.


	15. Chapter 15

Derek hated Stiles moving away from him, but, he knew Stiles needed time, to process everything, to maybe forgive him, to, well, Derek didn’t know, but he knew Stiles needed time and what he definitely didn’t need was Derek pressuring him. 

“Anytime you want to get these cuffs off?” Stiles said, turning his back to Derek, Derek jumped up, rolling his shoulders and feeling relief sweep through him that he was free, he went to snap the cuffs and then froze, there was still a large cut at the back of Stiles’ head.

“Shouldn’t this have healed?” Derek muttered, brushing his fingers gently over Stiles’ head, grimacing when Stiles moved out of his reach. 

“I don’t know Der, just, get the fucking cuffs off please?” Stiles replied sounding exhausted.

“Right, yeah, sure, of course.” Derek said, returning to his original task and snapping the cuffs with ease, Stiles rubbed at his wrists uncomfortably, there were red marks circling his wrists, they were cut and bleeding in places and Derek took a step forward, placing a hand on Stiles’ arm and planning to drain the pain, instead he was hit with a wall of it, it was overwhelming, it took his breath away, he thought he was going to pass out and he instinctively withdrew his hand away like he’d been burned, “What the hell Stiles? Why are you in so much pain? I thought the orgasm was supposed to heal you?” Derek said, already reaching out to take the pain again but Stiles stepped out of his reach, moving to examine the one-way mirror instead. 

“I don’t know? I think I pushed it into you? I’m not sure, but, I know you needed the energy, I didn’t want to keep some for myself if it meant you wouldn’t have the strength to get us out of there, but, I don’t know, it’s not like I’ve ever tried to direct it like that before?” Stiles mumbled, staring at the mirror in curiosity, he didn’t feel strong enough to use his magic to rip the door from its hinges, it would probably finish him off and then Derek would be left to get them both out of there which would be an issue if he came up against any other casters. 

“Just, take some of it back then.” Derek said, stepping into Stiles’ personal space, his eyes still glowing red. 

“No. You might need it. I’m fine. I’ve got some energy left, enough to get out of here if we’re careful.” 

“Or you could just take some of it back now and then we won’t have to be careful, we can tear this place apart if necessary, we just get out of here.”

“No, you might need it Derek. I can handle Richard and Pete, even weakened I’m stronger than them. I need you take out Jake and any of his pack that are here, which means you need the strength, the energy, a hell of a lot more than I do.” Stiles snapped, “Now, I’ve got a plan.” He said, striding over to where the remains of his shirt were, wrapping it around his fist and then punching through the one-way mirror. 

“What the fuck!?” Derek cursed, stepping back to avoid the glass that spilled to the floor around them. Stiles watched as the glass fell revealing another room on the other side, it was smaller, with a desk and computer, but, most importantly, a door that was propped open. “You’re a genius.” Derek said and Stiles shrugged, a grin on his lips. 

“I have my moments.” Stiles said, hopping through the gap and landing on his feet on the other side, wincing as his ribs protested uncomfortably. 

“You okay?” Derek asked as he hopped through the gap with one hand and Stiles did his best not to roll his eyes, freaking werewolves. 

“Fine.” Stiles said tensely. 

“Stiles, let me help, take some of my energy or let me take some of your pain or something?” Derek suggested. 

“I’m fine. Let’s just get out of here so I can start punching you.” Stiles said and Derek laughed. “I’m not joking.” Stiles said but there was a slight smirk on his face and Derek smiled. 

“I’ll be ready for it.” 

“Good. Now, let’s get out of here.” Stiles said, walking to the door, “You hear anything?” He asked and Derek shook his head. They made their way through two corridors before Derek grabbed his wrist, mouthing that there was someone up ahead and coming in their direction. They looked around and Stiles pulled them into a tiny storage cupboard, pressing into each other, holding their breaths as they waited for whoever was outside to pass by. Derek used the time to study Stiles, his vision was still red from the energy Stiles had given him, everything seemed so much more enhanced than usual, the moles on Stiles’ cheeks, the way his tongue darted out to lick his lips in nerves, the way his heart was racing in his chest, his shoulders shaking slightly and Derek wasn’t sure if it was shock or cold or what, it wasn’t warm in here and Stiles was only in a pair of jeans that were half shredded at their waistline. He moved closer, pressing his heat against Stiles who looked at him in surprise, a question on his lips before he stilled, someone was right outside the door. 

“Jake is on the warpath, he wants Stiles now and he’s not going to wait any longer, is the potion nearly ready to give to Hale?” Pete asked. 

“A few hours yet, but, I’m on my way there now, see if the little shit is awake again yet, maybe we’re going about this wrong, maybe using the Alpha against him will work just fine, I mean, he might care the most about his dad and that little blonde bitch, but, it doesn’t mean they’re the only ones he cares about.” Richard replied and Stiles tensed up looking worried. 

“What are you planning to do to the Alpha?” 

“I’m going to find out exactly how well he heals, I think we’ll start by pulling out his guts and seeing if he’ll heal once I shove them back in the wrong way around. I’m willing to bet that the instant I threaten him, Stiles will cave, he’ll drink the potion voluntarily, hell, he’ll beg us to let him drink it, then, as soon as it’s taken effect, he can offer us his magic willingly and then it’s all ours.” Richard laughed and Stiles clenched his jaw, looking ready to murder him, Derek held the door closed, thinking Stiles might do something stupid like confront Richard right now, he only relaxed once he heard Pete and Richard moving on, heading in the direction Stiles and Derek had just come from. 

“We need to hurry, they’ll raise the alarm soon enough.” Derek muttered as they left the cupboard, Stiles swayed on the spot slightly and Derek looked at him with worry before grabbing his arm and pulling him onward, “Come on, we’re nearly out of here Stiles, just a bit further.” Derek said reassuringly, “I can practically smell the fresh air…” Derek said, his words trailing off when there was a popping sound from behind them, Stiles turned around, looking in horror at Pete and Richard who had obviously run back from where they’d been keeping Derek and Stiles, Richard was holding a gun pointed in their direction and Stiles stared at it, turning to look at Derek and feeling instant terror. 

Everything was moving in slow motion, Derek felt something wet on his chest, he reached down, touched it, stared at it in confusion, it was blood, he was bleeding? He looked at Stiles, expecting him to know the answer, instead Stiles just looked horrified, his mouth opening in denial, his hands moving forwards as if to grab Derek and then suddenly Derek’s legs gave out and he dropped to the ground.

“Derek! Derek! Oh my god!” Stiles was panic-stricken, Derek had been shot in the back and it had gone clean through his chest, there was a hole there, it hadn’t blown his entire ribcage apart but it wasn’t far off, the exit wound was easily the size of a tennis ball, god, Derek had been shot! “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” Stiles said, clutching Derek close to him, pressing a hand against the exit wound to try and stop the flow of blood. 

“It’s okay.” Derek whispered, looking at Stiles with such love that Stiles wasn’t sure how he’d not seen it. “It’s okay Stiles, you need to go, get out of here.” Derek muttered, god, he was tired, he was so tired, he just needed to close his eyes. 

“No, Derek, no, you have to stay awake.” Stiles shouted, aware of Richard and Pete coming closer, of Jake and four members of his pack coming in from the other side, they were surrounded, it didn’t matter, Derek was dying, if he died, god, he couldn’t die. 

“I covered the bullet with wolfsbane, a fatal dose the moment it touched his skin, it’s going to kill him and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Richard taunted. “Now, you give me your magic and I won’t do the same to the rest of his pathetic pack.” He said. 

“Don’t Stiles, don’t give it to him.” Derek whispered, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

“Just stay with me, okay? We’re going to get out of here, both of us, Derek, Der, please.” Stiles said, tears filling his eyes as Derek raised a hand to his cheek, resting it gently against it. 

“I’m so sorry Stiles…hurting you was the worst thing I ever did…biggest regret of my life...understand why you hate me.” Derek said, his eyes already slipping closed.

“It’s okay, Derek, it’s okay, I forgive you, okay? You’re forgiven, it’s over, you don’t need to worry about that anymore, I don’t hate you, alright? I don’t hate you, I don’t, it’s okay, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter alright? It’s okay, you’re going to be fine, alright, you just need to stay awake.” Stiles pleaded, pressing tight to the wound, not sure what else he could do, “I’ll give it you, you can have it, just, please, please save him.” Stiles begged. 

“You’ll give me your magic? Just like that?” Richard smirked and Stiles nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks when Derek’s hand dropped from his cheek, falling lifelessly to his side. 

“Derek, Der, wake up, come on, wake up, you have to wake up, Derek, please!” Stiles looked at Derek, shaking him gently, tears spilling down his cheeks when Derek didn’t respond to his desperate pleas. 

“Drink this, it’ll give you the option to reject your magic, once you do, then I’ll take it.” Richard said happily, holding out a bottle to Stiles and smirking triumphantly, Stiles was still staring at Derek in disbelief, unable to believe it had ended like this, it couldn’t end like this, “Do it or I’ll hunt down the rest of your pack and put a bullet in them too, starting with your little blonde bitch.” Richard snarled and Stiles looked up from Derek, his eyes glowing bright gold, the grief and rage on his features made Richard take a step backwards in fear.

“You want my magic!? You can have it!” Stiles screamed, unleashing the magic that had been building in his chest since the second he’d seen the blood on Derek’s shirt, if he’d felt grief when he’d woken to found Steve dead in front of him, believing that his own magic had been the cause, well, it was nothing, absolutely nothing, in comparison to this, Derek was dead, Derek was dead because of Stiles and his last thought had been to apologise to Stiles for hurting him. No, no, it wasn’t fair and Stiles couldn’t handle it, Derek was dead and he had died thinking Stiles still hated him, he hadn’t heard that Stiles forgave him, he died thinking Stiles would never forgive him and no, no… Stiles screamed, he screamed out all his rage, his grief, his despair, his disbelief, he screamed out his magic, blasting it outwards like a bomb going off, the lights shattered, the walls shook, the entire room filled with a bright light that caused them all to shield their eyes. Stiles clutched Derek’s body close to him, held him tightly as tears spilled from his eyes and he sobbed brokenly, his magic still blasting outwards, taking everything from him, he didn’t care, Derek was dead and it was his fault and he couldn’t breathe, he wanted them to hurt, wanted them to feel the pain he was feeling, because Derek was dead, oh god, he was dead, he was dead and he was never coming back. Stiles sobbed harder, screaming as his magic tore through him, as it tore through anything standing in its path, until, eventually, Stiles had nothing left to give and he slumped to the ground, his arms still wrapped around Derek’s body, holding him as close as he could as everything faded to black around him. 

Derek blinked awake in surprise, he wasn’t sure what had happened, he was almost certain he’d been dying, maybe he’d even died, maybe he was dead, maybe this was the afterlife? He blinked a few times, realised he was staring at the ceiling of the bunker they were being held in, he tried to move and his chest throbbed painfully, yeah, he wasn’t dead, not if he felt this much pain. He reached down, pressing his fingers against his skin, there was still a small hole there but it was healing, slowly, but it was healing, he felt weak, shaky even, but, he was alive, he just didn’t understand how. He attempted to sit up and felt cold hands holding him in place, he looked down, saw Stiles’ hands, he touched them gently with a fingertip, god they were cold, they were so cold, he sat up then, not caring about the pain he was in, he shifted around until he saw Stiles and everything seemed to still, the room was silent, he couldn’t breathe, he was sure his heart had stopped beating. 

“Stiles!” Derek whispered in terror, the sound seeming to break the trance he was in as suddenly he surged forward, his heart hammering a million miles a minute, his chest heaving with panic, everything was overly loud as Derek’s ears searched out the one sound they needed to hear more than anything. 

Stiles was curled on the floor, like he’d slumped over from where he’d been holding onto Derek, like he hadn’t even tried to fight, hadn’t tried to escape, he was so pale, so cold, Derek could hear his heart beating but it was so quiet, so weak, that it had taken him a few seconds to hear it clearly. He looked around, trying to figure out what had happened, what had caused Stiles to end up in this state, there were scorch marks along the walls that were vaguely human shaped, it looked like something had exploded and whoever had been standing in the way had been incinerated. There was no time to think about that now though, Stiles was hurt and Derek couldn’t lose him, he leaned down, kissing him, ignoring the stab of pain in his chest, he didn’t care, he didn’t care if it killed him, he couldn’t lose Stiles, except, nothing happened, no red lines appeared, Stiles wasn’t taking any energy from him.

“No, no, no, come on Stiles, come on.” Derek pleaded, pressing his lips against Stiles’ again and again, but, still, there was no reaction. He needed help, he needed a plan. He thought maybe Stiles had done the preservation spell again, except his skin wasn’t glowing gold and his heart was still beating, whatever had happened to him, it must have been traumatic. Derek knew Stiles needed skin-on-skin contact, but, he also needed to keep him warm and the more bodies the better, he didn’t want to leave Stiles but he was also terrified of moving him in case it caused something worse to happen. “I’m coming back, Stiles, I’ll be right back.” He said, stumbling upright and running down the corridor, desperate to find something to help.

He raced through the corridors, opening every door he could find in an attempt to find something useful, the entire bunker seemed to be abandoned, Derek didn’t know if everyone had died in the corridor, or if some of them had turned and run from whatever Stiles did, because it had to be something Stiles did, Derek knew that much. Eventually, god it had taken too fucking long, he found what he guessed was the common room, there were several chairs and sofas, coats and jackets thrown over the back of them, a few blankets scattered around the room as if in decoration, there was a small fridge and microwave, and a bathroom off to one corner, Derek hesitated for a moment, not sure where to start, and then he thought of Stiles, lying in the corridor, alone, so cold. He snatched a bag off the side, moved to the fridge and pulled out everything that was in it, a couple of bottles of water, a slice of apple pie, some sandwiches, it was nothing exciting, but it would have to do. He grabbed the blankets next, shoving them into the bag before hurrying to the coats and jackets, one of them had to have a phone, he searched through all the pockets, finding a few sweets, wallets, keys, tissues and then, finally, thank god, a mobile. He couldn’t believe his luck that not only did it still have battery but it didn’t even have a password on it, he was already running back to Stiles as he looked at the screen in relief. 

He moved Stiles as gently as he could, taking off the remains of his jeans and then stripping his own clothes off, he moved slowly, carefully, listening to Stiles’ heartbeat with every movement, terrified that if he moved too quickly it would stop, until, finally, Derek had managed to pull Stiles onto his lap, giving them as much skin-on-skin contact as possible, he threw blankets over Stiles, not caring that he would be too hot, only caring that Stiles got warm because he was so fucking cold it wasn’t right. As soon as he’d got Stiles comfortable he pulled the phone out, dialling Noah’s number and leaning his head back against the wall, closing his eyes and resting for just a moment.

“Hello?” Noah said sounding stressed, Derek blinked open his eyes, not realising that he’d been on the verge of falling asleep, “Is someone there?” Derek cleared his throat, surprised by how dry it was, god, he was exhausted, “If you have them, if you’ve hurt them, I’ll kill you, you get that? I will hunt you down and put a bullet between your eyes.” Noah snarled dangerously. 

“Noah.” Derek whispered, exhaustion sweeping through him, god, he was so tired. 

“Derek? Is that you? Are you okay? Is Stiles? Where are you? Derek tell us where you are!” Noah said desperately, it was obvious that their absence had been missed, Derek wondered how long they’d been gone, he didn’t think it was that long, a day, maybe two tops, but, it had obviously been long enough. 

“I’m alright.” Derek said, clearing his throat again. 

“Oh thank god, you’re okay, you’re alright,” Noah said with relief, “What about Stiles? Where is he? Are you with him? Is he alive?” 

“He’s alive.” Derek whispered, “He’s with me, but, I can’t, he won’t wake up and he’s not taking any energy from me, I’ve tried, but, it won’t work.” Derek said, tears threatening to overwhelm him. 

“It’s okay Derek.” Noah said, obviously trying to reassure him even as Derek could hear the same terror that he felt in Noah’s voice. “Alright, but, he’s breathing? He has a pulse?”

“Yeah, yeah, but, it’s weak, I don’t want to move him.” Derek admitted. 

“Okay, that’s sensible, look, can you tell us where you are? What about the people holding you? Are they nearby? Can they hear you?” Noah asked. 

“No, they’re dead, I think, I think Stiles did something, but, I’m not sure, I was, I’m pretty sure I was dead at the time…”

“Dead!? Are you kidding me!?” Erica shouted from somewhere nearby to Noah. 

“I don’t know, Richard shot me and Stiles was there, he was telling me it was going to be okay, but, then everything went black, and, I woke up, and I’m alive, and, Stiles, his heart is beating but, he, he won’t wake up and he’s so cold, he’s so, so cold.” Derek said fighting back a sob. 

“It’s alright Derek, we’ll help him, we’ll come to you, just tell us where you are.” Noah said sounding stressed. 

“I don’t know, Richard said it was an underground bunker, we’re definitely underground, and, it’s big, like, military grade maybe, and they had an interrogation room, so, yeah, I’d definitely say military, but, it’s disused, it’s got plug sockets and electricity and a mini-fridge and indoor plumbing, so I guess it’s a reasonably recent build, but, it’s disused, there’s no sign of anyone being here for a long time, no scents or anything else that I could pick up, and we can’t be too far underground because I’ve still got signal on the phone. Does that help?” Derek asked.

“Yeah, yeah it does Derek, I think I know where you are, just, hold on, look after him, we’ll be there in an hour or so.” Noah said sounding positive, “I’m going to pass Melissa the phone alright, she’s going to talk you through anything medical you might want to know, just, stay on the phone, alright?” 

“Yes sir.” Derek replied out of habit more than anything else.

“Derek?” Melissa sounded concerned and Derek wanted to ease her worry, but, honestly, he was scared and tired and he just wanted somebody here who could help him, who could help Stiles. 

“Yeah, I’m here.” 

“Alright, good, we’re on our way, just, hang in there.” She said and Derek nodded, “Right, well, first things first, you said you think you died? You’d been shot?” She asked.

“Yeah, through the chest with a wolfsbane bullet, it’s nearly healed now though, it was a big hole, like, I’m pretty sure I could have put my hand in it, but, now, it’s barely there, and,” he looked down at his chest, wiping slightly at the small amount of blood there, “yeah, it’s basically healed, it’s not bleeding anymore, I’m fine, just, really tired.” Derek admitted. 

“Okay, that’s good, being tired is natural, your body would have flooded with adrenaline when you were shot, and now you’re healing, the adrenaline is wearing off, it’s a form of shock, exhaustion, have you got access to anything sugary?” She asked and Derek looked at the bag next to him. 

“Some sweets and a piece of pie?” He said.

“Perfect, eat them, it’ll boost your sugar levels and you won’t feel so tired. Now, Stiles, what happened to him?” 

“I’m not sure, I was maybe dead, but, I think he did something with his magic, I don’t really know…”

“Has he got any other injuries?” Melissa asked. 

“Yeah, he, he’s got a cut on the back of his head, and, um, I think a couple of his ribs are broken, and, he’s got some scratches on his side and his wrists are cut up and I think his shoulder is dislocated or something, definitely damaged, I just, I don’t know.” He explained. 

“What happened to him?” Melissa said sounding pained, “No, no, you know what? It doesn’t matter. Right now all that matters is getting him patched up. Have you got any medical equipment?” 

“No. I couldn’t find any, I looked, but, I couldn’t find any, it was only a quick look, but, I tried to be thorough.” Derek replied. 

“Okay, can you leave him and go recheck?” She asked. 

“No, no I can’t leave him, he’s too cold and I don’t want to move him.” Derek said, checking the blankets were still covering Stiles as he spoke, “I’m scared if I leave him he won’t be alive when I come back.” He confessed in fear. 

“Alright, that’s okay Derek, that’s fine, are any of the wounds still bleeding?” 

“No, I think they’ve stopped for now, I’m applying pressure to the wound on the back of his head, and I’ve got blankets on him to try and warm him up, plus we’re sharing body heat and skin-on-skin contact, just in case that still works and it’ll help heal him.” 

“It sounds like you’ve got it covered.” Melissa said sounding like she was about to burst into tears, “Just keep doing what you’re doing Derek, we’re on our way, just look after him for now.” There was silence for a minute and Derek felt himself falling asleep, he jerked himself upright slightly, pulling Stiles slightly closer to him. 

“Melissa?”

“Yeah?” 

“How did you guys know we were missing? How long have we been gone? What’s been going on?” Derek asked and Melissa let out a chuckle that was filled with sorrow. 

“You’ve been gone two days, somebody on the plane filmed the whole thing, sent it to the papers, about the brutality of the police, Tony called us as soon as it was brought to their attention, his boss had to issue a statement that you and Stiles were working for them and that you had been kidnapped by unknown people and the entire country has been looking for you, he told us what had happened, we’ve been looking for you ever since. We managed to get access to the plane and Jackson said he was almost certain Jake had been there, so, Tony checked all flights in and out of the local airports, turned out Jake and four members of his pack had flown in a few days previously, so, we were trying to track them, find out where they were staying and hoping they were holding both of you there.” Melissa explained. “We just couldn’t figure out how you guys hadn’t escaped, I understand Stiles couldn’t use magic on the plane when there were other witnesses, but, as soon as he regained consciousness, you should have been able to escape. You mentioned that Richard shot you? I don’t think that’s any of Jake’s pack, who is he?” 

“Stiles mentioned him before, you might not remember, he’s the one who came up with the name ‘child prodigy’, he was jealous of Stiles’ abilities.”

“Right, yeah, he helped kidnap Stiles from Peru and take him back to the council.” Melissa confirmed, “He was there? Did he hurt Stiles? Is he dead?” 

“Yeah, he had a set of cuffs, you know the magic trapping ones that Stiles created, he had him trapped in that and me trapped in wolfsbane ropes, we were pretty much helpless.” Derek said, the memory of the moment he realised they were trapped, that he couldn’t protect Stiles, it made him feel sick. “But, he didn’t hurt Stiles, not really, a few punches, but that was nothing, Jake did worse.” 

“What do you mean worse?” Jackson asked, sounding like he’d snatched the phone from Melissa, “Did he, god, he always talked about, he wanted Stiles as a mate, he was furious when Stiles rejected him.”

“When did he reject him?” Scott interrupted.

“Just after he graduated, I didn’t see Stiles then, I only heard through one of the other guys, basically that Jake had approached the Nogitsune survivor about becoming his mate and got shot down, badly, he was humiliated. I called Stiles, he begged me not to say anything to Lydia because you guys would only worry and I agreed but Jake was furious about Stiles rejecting him, he said he’d make him pay for it.” There was a lot of angry shouting on the other end of the phone and Derek held it away from his ear until things quietened down. 

“Derek, what do you mean Jake did worse? Did he…did he rape…” Noah trailed off as if unable to even get the words out. 

“No, no he didn’t. He, um, he tried, but Stiles managed to fight him off, at least long enough that Richard came back in and told Jake to stop, that he needed Stiles alive until he gave up his magic…” Derek trailed off looking at Stiles in horror, “What if he gave up his magic? Richard was telling him he would shoot the rest of the pack if he didn’t? What if he’s not healing because he gave his magic away?” 

“No, no, he can’t have done that, there’ll be another explanation.” Erica said in determination. “We’ll figure this out Derek, just keep him safe until we get there.” 

“I will.” Derek agreed, he was so tired, he could just rest, for a few minutes, just close his eyes, for a few seconds. 

“…ek?” Melissa’s voice sounded worried and he blinked open his eyes. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled quietly. 

“Don’t worry, you’re tired, I get it, but, we’re nearly there, you can rest when we get there, when the pack are there, you can rest then, until then you need to stay awake, I need to know if Stiles’ condition changes.” 

“Right, yeah, sure.” Derek said, touching the back of Stiles’ neck and feeling relieved that he at least seemed a little warmer than he had been. “He’s okay, still breathing, he feels a bit warmer too.” 

“That’s good Derek, we’re pulling up now, we’ll be with you in a few minutes, okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be here.” Derek said, clutching Stiles a little tighter. He heard a loud banging from somewhere along the corridor and a few minutes later he heard someone shouting his name, “I’m down here.” Derek called, hearing the sound of people running towards him, relief flooding through him when he saw the pack all stumbling to a stop as they took in the scene in front of them, the shadows on the wall where their captors had been incinerated, the blast patterns all seeming to stem from where Derek was sat, leaning against the wall with Stiles cradled in his arms. “Hey.” He muttered quietly and the entire pack seemed to surge forwards as one, checking Derek over for injuries and then reaching out to touch Stiles, seeing the bruises on his jaw, cheek, chest, hips, god, everywhere, there were so many cuts and bruises, he’d been through hell whereas Derek had barely any evidence of being shot, only a faint, shallow hole that was practically healed, and blood smeared on his chest but most of that had been wiped off on the blankets that covered them. 

“You’re okay Derek, you’re okay.” Peter said, resting a hand on the back of his head in comfort, Derek wasn’t sure who was taking more comfort from it. 

“Mica? Mica can you hear me?” Erica whispered when Stiles showed no sign of life, she leaned in and kissed him, tears in her eyes when nothing happened, “We need to move him, get him somewhere safe, or to a hospital or something.” 

“You can hear how weak his heart is, if we move him we could end up killing him.” Scott replied sounding terrified. 

“We can’t take him to the hospital either, what if his skin starts glowing if the preservation spell starts?” Kira added. 

“His heart is stronger than it was.” Derek muttered, listening to thrum of Stiles’ heartbeat, it was definitely stronger than it had been, it gave him hope. 

“That’s not comforting at all. If it’s stronger now and it still sounds that weak, god, he should be dead.” Isaac muttered and Derek clutched Stiles a little tighter at that word. 

“He’s not though. He’s alive. He’s going to be fine, right Melissa?” Derek asked, Melissa examined Stiles with trembling fingers, looking with worry at the injuries, it didn’t reassure Derek in the slightest. 

“He needs proper medical attention, if not the hospital then we need to get him back to the house where I can treat him properly, if he stays here, he’s going to die.” She said through gritted teeth. 

“But, he’s too weak, if we move him, it could kill him.” Scott said looking anguished. 

“Stiles is strong, we all know how strong he is, he’s shown us that so many times over the years, I’m going to stabilise him as best I can with what we have here and then we’re going to take him home where I can treat him properly. I know he can hold on until we get there, but, if we wait, I don’t know if it’ll be too late.” She said, the pack all looked serious, terrified that whatever they did was going to be the wrong call. 

“Okay.” Noah said firmly, “Do what you can here. Then we get him home where he can heal properly. That’s what we’re going to do. No arguments.” 

“What can we do to help?” Allison said. 

“Move the cars as close to the entrance as possible, see if you can find a stretcher or something we can use as one, I don’t want to risk anything shifting and causing more damage, blankets, a damp cloth, I don’t know, look around, see if you can find anything useful.” Melissa instructed as the pack all hurried off in various directions, “Derek, I’m going to need you to let go of him.” 

“But, he needs to stay warm.” Derek replied, still holding tightly to Stiles. 

“I’ll look after him, I promise, but, I need to examine him properly.” She said, turning to look at Cora and Isaac who had returned with a wooden door. 

“Will this do as a stretcher?” Isaac asked. 

“Yeah, perfect.” Melissa instructed them to lie it on the floor and then spread some blankets over it, “Derek, please, I need you to let me help him.” Derek looked at her and finally nodded, relaxing his grip on Stiles and lowering him down onto the make-shift stretcher, his mind wondered vaguely where they could have found a door like that in a place like this, that seemed to be all cold, soul-destroying metal, but, he wasn’t going to ask, it wasn’t of that much interest to him really. As soon as he let go of Stiles he heard his heart thud and stutter out of rhythm and both Isaac and Cora panicked, rushing forward and placing their hands on Stiles’ chest, Derek pulling him closer again while Melissa and Noah just looked on in worry. “What happened?”

“His heart. It stuttered.” Derek whispered, his voice cracking with fear. 

“Isaac, Cora, let go of him.” Melissa said, “Please, I just need to check something.” She insisted and they reluctantly moved away from Stiles, “His heart?” 

“It’s steady.” Cora whispered. 

“Derek, your turn.” Derek looked at her with wide, terrified eyes, tears already in his eyes as he shook his head in disagreement. “Please Derek.” He moved away slowly, an inch at a time, ready to move back to Stiles if necessary, as soon as all contact with Stiles was broken his heart stuttered out of rhythm again, except when Derek went to reach out to him Melissa stopped his hand. “Isaac, touch him.” Isaac surged forward as soon as he was given permission, grabbing Stiles’ hand and holding tightly. “And?” 

“It’s not working.” Cora said sounding panicked. 

“Alright, Derek.” Melissa said and Derek grabbed Stiles’ other hand, instantly his heartbeat eased into a steady rhythm again and they could all breathe a little easier. “Okay, no need to even ask if that worked.” She said, noticing the way that both Cora and Isaac relaxed the instant Derek’s hand touched Stiles.

“What does it mean?” Isaac asked and Melissa shrugged. 

“I don’t know, maybe Stiles using his magic to save Derek bound them together in some way? Maybe the close contact immediately afterwards is Stiles’ way of clinging onto something, I don’t know. What I do know is that it means Derek you hold on to his hand the entire time, don’t let go of him until we get him home and taken care of, okay?” Derek nodded vigorously, determined to help Stiles however he could. “Great, okay, let’s take a look at him.” Melissa said, grateful when Allison and Kira returned from the cars with a handful of medical basics, bandages and plasters, enough that within a few minutes Melissa had stabilised Stiles as best she could while the rest of the pack looked on in worry. 

“So, the contact with Derek is the only thing keeping him alive right now?” Erica whispered when she was filled in on what had happened in her absence. 

“It looks that way.” Noah said, studying Stiles again for a few moments before clenching his jaw in determination, “Right, are we ready to do this?” 

“No time like the present.” Melissa said sounding uncertain but knowing they had no other choice. They managed to get Stiles loaded into the back of an SUV with minimal issues and Derek sat next to him, clutching his hand tightly like his entire life depended on it, they all knew that if Stiles died it would destroy all of them, they’d never get over it, but it was also obvious that if Stiles died, they’d lose their Alpha too, Derek was on the verge of going feral, Derek was only staying even remotely human because he could hear Stiles’ heart beating in his chest. 

As soon as they were back to the house Melissa got to work in earnest, she cleaned and bandaged his injuries, popped his shoulder back into place, bound his ribs, cleaned out the wound on the back of his head and then stitched it up, working methodically and treating each injury one at a time until, finally, she’d done as much as she could, now it was all on Stiles. 

Derek had spent a good few hours explaining to the pack everything that had happened since they left, how they’d tracked Medusa, how Stiles had done something with his magic to kill her, how they’d got on the plane, the kidnapping, what Jake and Richard wanted. The only thing he didn’t mention was how Derek found the energy to break out of the ropes, he thought that was something that he needed to discuss with Stiles, he knew that it had only been about energy, about getting them out of there, but, it felt private, personal somehow, he didn’t want to talk to them about it until he’d been able to talk to Stiles first. 

After two days Derek could actually leave Stiles’ side for long enough to go to the bathroom, how he’d managed that particular issue for the first two days wasn’t something any of them were ever going to discuss. By the fifth day he could leave long enough to have a shower, it had only been a short one, just long enough for him to scrub himself clean because even he couldn’t stand his own stench by that point, when he returned to the pack room ten minutes after he’d first left it was to find the pack all crowded around Stiles, offering him whatever comfort they could while his heart beat steadily in his chest. His injuries seemed to be healing but nowhere near their normal rate, more like an average human speed and Derek became more and more convinced that Stiles had given his magic up to Richard in an attempt to save Derek, obviously it had backfired somehow, but until Stiles woke up they wouldn’t know for certain. By the seventh day Stiles was strong enough that his heart beat steadily even without Derek holding his hand for over three hours, Derek knew that meant Stiles was getting stronger, but testing it, resisting touching Stiles until his heart started to beat out of rhythm, it felt like the hardest thing he’d had to do in years.

By the tenth day they were all worried, Stiles showed no signs of waking up, his minor injuries seemed to have healed, several of the bruises gone completely, but his head was still cut, his ribs still broken, his shoulder was black and blue from where Melissa had popped it back into its socket, and, really, they didn’t know what to do for the best. Derek, Melissa, Peter and Noah had all gone for breakfast at the same time, they were taking it in shifts, making sure somebody was with Stiles at all times, Derek hadn’t been on shift at all for the past week but thankfully he had a boss who could completely understand his situation and wasn’t complaining about him being off, mainly because Noah was in the same boat. Noah had been into work a few times, for no more than a few hours at once, completing the necessary paperwork and then returning back to the Hale house. 

The department all knew that something had happened with Stiles, which wasn’t surprising since they all knew Stiles worked for the government and they’d all seen the kidnapping video on the television. They’d been informed that Stiles and Derek had escaped their captors, that the men who had held them had been killed, the president himself had announced the good news to the nation, thankfully not confirming their names or locations, everyone knew that the agents who had been captured on the plane had been released and were alive, but, nobody knew any more than that and anybody in the Sheriff’s department who knew it was Stiles and Derek wasn’t willing to ask Noah for more information for fear of his reaction. 

The others had taken time off work or college or gone in for the odd class, everybody knew that Stiles was recovering from his imprisonment, that his friends, the people he considered his family, were taking it hard, that they were all struggling to look after him. Melissa had explained to the two people who had dared to ask why he wasn’t in the hospital that Stiles was fine, that he had caught a bug while he had been held captive and they weren’t sure how long before he would recover. The words ‘IF he recovers’ were never mentioned, they all had to believe that Stiles was going to be okay.

“Maybe we should take him to the hospital?” Melissa suggested over the top of her coffee, “We could run tests, ones that I can’t run here, check that his brain levels are functioning normally and all that.”

“You think he could have brain damage?” Derek muttered. 

“I don’t know, but, he doesn’t seem to be getting any better.” 

“He’s managed eight hours without me touching him last night, that’s an improvement.” Derek replied.

“He should have woken up Derek, the fact he hasn’t worries me. I just, I don’t know what else to do to help him, this is beyond any of us, we need help, and, if we can rule out normal illnesses then we can start looking into supernatural causes.” Melissa said. 

“Melissa is right Derek, the longer this goes on…” Peter paused, his eyes darting to the ceiling. 

“What is it?” Noah asked, recognising the look on Peter and Derek’s faces, it was Stiles’ heart, something was happening. 

“It’s getting faster.” Peter said as they started rushing towards the stairs. 

Stiles was somewhere dark, it was dark and there was no way to know what was up and what was down, it was darkness and pain and he was lost, god, he was so lost. Every once in a while, and he wasn’t sure how often that was because time was different wherever here was, but, every so often, the pain dulled and Stiles could feel himself slipping away, slipping towards a more permanent blackness, and, then there was something, he wasn’t sure what it was, but, something pulled him back, back to the pain, back to the darkness, back to struggling on. It felt like someone had wrapped a hand around his heart and was pulling it away from the blackness and Stiles was just being pulled along with it.

Stiles was almost certain he was in Hell, Derek was dead because of Stiles and this was his punishment, to not be granted the peaceful, painless blackness, no, instead he was going to be stuck forever in this inky darkness, never getting away from the pain, he guessed he deserved it, so many people had died because of him, Steph, Steve and now Derek to name but a few, god, Derek was dead, he was dead and it was Stiles’ fault, he deserved this, he deserved all of this. 

Stiles’ surged upright, blinking in the bright light, sucking in huge gasps of air, tears spilling down his cheeks, Derek was dead, he was dead, god, he was dead and Stiles couldn’t save him. He saw Erica in front of him, her hands on his cheeks, her mouth open, talking to him, trying to reassure him, but Stiles couldn’t hear her, his heart was beating so loudly in his ears, his chest constricting tightly, Derek was dead, the words repeating over and over in his mind, the only thing that Stiles could think, could see, was Derek lying dead on the floor of that godforsaken corridor. 

“He’s dead, he’s dead, god, he’s dead, he’s dead, it’s my fault, he’s dead, it’s all my fault, oh god, he’s dead…” Stiles was muttering, panting, his words whispered, his voice filled with grief and guilt and Erica couldn’t get through to him, Stiles was having a panic attack and Erica couldn’t get him to breathe properly, to calm down. 

“Stiles! Stiles! It’s okay! He’s alive, Derek’s fine.” She was shouting but either Stiles couldn’t hear her or couldn’t make sense of her words, instead he just kept repeating that he was dead as tears slid down his cheeks and his chest heaved. 

“Move!” Derek shouted as he ran into the room, having listened to Stiles’ words from the moment he woke up, “Stiles! I’m here, I’m here, it’s okay, I’m okay.” Derek repeated, practically shoving Erica out of the way so that he was in Stiles’ line of sight. The change in Stiles’ was instantaneous, he stopped muttering, instead he was staring at Derek like he’d never seen him before, he wasn’t even breathing, just staring at Derek. “Stiles, you need to breathe.” Derek said a few moments later when Stiles was still not breathing. Instead Stiles raised a hand, reaching out with trembling fingers to touch Derek’s cheek, until his entire hand was cupping Derek’s cheek softly. 

“You’re alive?” Stiles whispered, Derek raised his own hand, putting it over Stiles’, pressing it into his cheek. 

“Yeah, I’m alive Stiles, I’m okay, I’m alive, it’s okay.” Derek said until finally Stiles took a deep breath. 

“How?” Stiles muttered, obviously in shock. 

“I hoped you’d be able to tell me that.” Derek smiled and Stiles continued stroking his cheek with his fingers in disbelief. “It’s okay, I’m okay, you’re okay, everything is alright.” 

“You were dead. I saw it. You died. You died in my arms Derek.” Stiles mumbled, he didn’t understand, he didn’t know how Derek was alive, he’d seen him die, seen the bullet hole, he moved forward, pulling at Derek’s shirt until he could see the tanned unmarked flesh where the gaping exit wound had been. 

“Do you two want some alone time?” Erica muttered obviously disgruntled, but Stiles didn’t tear his eyes away from Derek’s skin. 

“You’re really alive? You’re really here?” Stiles said and Derek nodded, Stiles surged forwards, pulling him into a hug, ignoring the throb of pain that he felt through his body, he didn’t care about the pain, Derek was alive, somehow, and he had no idea how, Derek was alive. Derek hugged him back, holding him more gently, more tenderly, than Stiles had thought he would, and then he remembered, remembered what Derek had said, what he’d admitted when they were trapped in that room, when Stiles had believed that Derek’s biggest weakness would be the pack. “You idiot! You...” He pulled back and punched Derek in the shoulder, wincing when his entire arm throbbed and his shoulder felt like it had been ripped off, he was exhausted, but, right now, the panic attack fresh in his mind, the adrenaline was racing through his body, he knew as soon as it wore off he would be exhausted, but, right now, all he could think about was that Derek was an idiot!

“What the hell Stiles!?” Noah shouted and the entire pack looked like he’d lost his mind. 

“Don’t even get me started on you guys lying to me about Derek’s real reasons for pushing me away, for telling me I wasn’t pack, I know! I know everything!” Stiles seethed, “You know what a fucking idiot Derek is, and you actually agreed to his plan!? Rather than have him admit to having feelings like an actual human being? Rather than get him to act like a grown up and talk to me?” 

“Um, well, erm, I think I hear the phone ringing.” Noah said, grabbing Melissa’s hand and pulling them both from the room. 

“Oh, yeah, I’ll come help you with that.” Erica said, darting out of the room after Noah and Melissa, dragging Boyd with her. 

“I’m happy to sit and watch, I’m dying to see how this goes.” Lydia said, before Jackson rolled his eyes and picked her up and carried her out of the room, the rest of the pack practically running after them until eventually only Derek and Stiles were left in the bedroom. 

“Stiles, I can expla…” 

“Shut up Derek!” Stiles snapped, he was exhausted, his head hurt, he wanted to sleep for a week, but, this was important. “I’m tired, I’m really tired, and I hurt, like, seriously, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. We need to talk about this, about all of this, but not right now, because I’m tired and I hurt.” Derek reached out, putting his fingers on Stiles’ wrist and beginning to drain the pain, Stiles practically sagged against him in relief and exhaustion and Derek felt guilt flood through him that they were discussing this when Stiles should be resting. 

“You’re right, we do need to talk about this, but, not now, you need to sleep, I’ll let you rest, we can talk about this tomorrow.” Derek said, shifting slightly so that Stiles basically collapsed half asleep on the bed. 

“No, no, just wait, let me just tell you, when you were dying, when you were bleeding out right in front of me and there was nothing I could do to save you, all I could think about was you thinking I hated you, about you dying thinking that I hated you, and, I’m angry at you, like, super angry, but I don’t hate you Derek. I understand that you thought you were doing the right thing, you weren’t, obviously, and you’re an idiot, but, I don’t hate you, okay? I’m not happy with you right now, not even entirely sure if I like you right now, but, we’re going to talk about this, when I don’t feel like I’m about to pass out, I just, I need you to know, I couldn’t ever hate you.” 

“I’m still sorry Stiles, I should have never lied to you, I should have never hurt you like that, and I wouldn’t blame you if you did hate me…”

“Derek,” Stiles sighed heavily, snuggling into the blankets, fighting the weight of his eyelids, “You hurt me, and I always said it was okay, that you were just putting me in my place, making sure I knew where I stood, that you were trying to do the decent thing, and you were, but, you didn’t just hurt me with your lies, you hurt the pack and you hurt yourself. Maybe you’ve never thought about that, maybe you’ve only thought about how much you’ve hurt everyone else, but, I think, I think you hurt yourself too, if, if you were telling the truth, that I’m your greatest weakness…”

“I was Stiles.”

“Okay, well, then, I must mean a lot to you, and, you pushed me away, we’ve had pretty much zero contact for three years and even recently, we’ve been, we’ve not been as comfortable around each other as we were, or used to be, or, it doesn’t feel that way to me anyway, but, the point I’m trying to make is, I’m not the only one that was hurt by your lies, you were too.” Stiles said and Derek stared at him. 

“I deserved it.” He admitted eventually, “I hurt you on purpose, I told you that you weren’t pack just to attempt to keep you safe, which I failed at, miserably, by the way, I deserved to be unhappy.” 

“You’re an idiot.” Stiles said fondly, pulling Derek down into the covers with him, “You deserve to be happy Derek, you don’t think things through sometimes, a lot of the time, but, your heart is always in the right place, and I get that. I get that you thought you were doing the right thing and I don’t hate you.” 

“So, would that mean, would you be willing, would you want to go on a date sometime?” Derek asked nervously and Stiles blinked at him in exhaustion. 

“I don’t know.” Stiles said and Derek nodded tightly, feeling his throat tighten and his chest clench uncomfortably, “I, um, a lot has happened since then Derek, I’m not the same person I was and neither are you. I’m not…I couldn’t go through…” Stiles cleared his throat, “I’m tired, I’m going to sleep for a while, you can stay or go, the pack can come back or stay away or whatever, but, I need to sleep.” Stiles said, changing the subject but Derek knew what he’d been going to say, Stiles didn’t want to get hurt again, Derek was going to spend the rest of his life proving to Stiles that he would never, ever, hurt him again. 

“I’ll go tell them…” Derek started and Stiles huffed out a quiet laugh, already half asleep. 

“Like they weren’t already listening in.” Stiles said sarcastically just as the door cracked open and Erica’s head appeared. 

“Can’t really deny it right now, can I?” She muttered and Stiles laughed, half raising an arm in invitation, Erica scrambled forwards, snuggling into Stiles’ side as the others all appeared and piled in around him, Derek made to move slightly, to make room for Scott, knowing Stiles would want Scott near him, but, before he could Stiles reached out and wrapped a hand around his wrist, pulling him close. 

“Don’t go anywhere, I don’t want to wake up and not know you’re alive.” Stiles whispered in confession and Derek nodded in reply, moving closer and snuggling in to Stiles’ other side. Within seconds Stiles was asleep, he’d obviously been fighting with everything he had to stay awake just so he could speak to Derek, and, okay, they hadn’t really resolved anything, but, Derek thought there was hope, Stiles hadn’t given him an out-right no, which he could have done so easily, he was nervous, worried about Derek hurting him again, Derek just had to prove to Stiles that he wouldn’t hurt him, that he would always listen, trust and respect Stiles’ wishes. He moved a little closer, until his arm was wrapped around Stiles’ back, his fingers brushing Erica’s hand on the other side, he settled a little further into the cushions and with Stiles’ scent filling his nose it was easy to slip into sleep. 

When Stiles woke up again he managed to stay awake for all of twenty minutes before he went back to sleep, it was obvious to all of them that he was trying to rest, but, his magic and the contact with them seemed to be having no effect, his injuries still weren’t healing as they’d become accustomed to them doing and it made them all nervous. In the twenty minutes that Stiles was awake they explained to him about the video showing them on the plane, how Tony had helped find them, how Jackson had recognised Jake’s scent, how Derek had called them, and how Stiles had been unconscious for the past ten days. That one had freaked Stiles out slightly, but, Erica and Noah managed to calm him down quickly enough and within minutes Stiles had gone back to sleep. 

Erica prodded Stiles awake almost twelve hours later and Stiles groaned before he rolled over and stumbled out of the bed, wincing with every step, they could all smell the pain coming off him, it was so bad that it stank out the room. 

“Where are you going!? Get back in bed!” Erica scolded. 

“I’m fine.” Stiles said, swaying slightly as he made it to the bedroom door. 

“What’s so important that it can’t wait!?” Erica said, moving to his side and grabbing his elbow to keep him upright. 

“A shower? The toilet? Giving myself a boost?” Stiles shrugged, stopping the movement instantly when it felt like his entire body throbbed in pain. 

“You think you can do that?” Erica asked and Stiles looked at her in confusion, “Stiles, you’ve been unconscious for ten days, at least once person has been with you the entire time and you still haven’t healed.” She said gently and Stiles looked at her like she’d lost her mind, before his heart began to race in panic. 

“Did you try to heal me?” Stiles whispered sounding equally worried and guilty at the same time. 

“Yeah, yeah we tried, but, it didn’t work.” Erica replied, Stiles bit his bottom lip, looking worried, no, looking terrified. 

“Rica, I need to kiss you, please?” Stiles asked and Erica nodded quickly, Stiles took a step towards her, pulling her into a kiss, Derek was not going to get jealous, he wasn’t. They broke apart a moment later and Erica and Stiles looked equally devastated, there was no need to ask if it had worked. 

“Can you feel your magic at all?” Erica queried gently, sounding like she was about to burst into tears as Stiles shook his head. 

“It’s gone, my magic is gone.” Stiles muttered and Derek wanted to go to him, hug him, hold him. 

“Hang on, we don’t know that for definite, just because it didn’t work with Erica, doesn’t mean it’s not going to work.” Peter said, trying to be reasonable. 

“Any excuse to kiss me huh?” Stiles joked but it fell flat when they all heard his voice crack with loss. 

“I wasn’t meaning me for a change, not that I’d complain about kissing you if I get the option.” Peter replied. 

“Thanks.” Stiles mumbled, still sounding devastated. 

“What do you mean?” Lydia asked, “Oh.” She said a second later when she caught up with what Peter was suggesting, she grabbed Derek’s hand and pulled him towards Stiles, “When you did whatever it was you did to Richard and Jake, you were close to dying, if Derek broke contact with you, your heart started to fail, maybe, maybe, bringing him back from the dead…

“I can’t do that Lyds, like, I might be able to do a lot of things, but healing people has never been my strong suit, I’ve never been able to really master that magic, I’ve acknowledged that, admitted it, so the idea that I could bring Derek back from the dead is absolutely ridiculous.” Stiles interrupted. 

“Okay, well, maybe he wasn’t dead, maybe he was dying, but, point being, Derek was going to die, he should have been dead, and then you did something, and he isn’t. What Peter and I are both suggesting, is that maybe your magic is tied to Derek in some way? You brought him back from the brink of death, your magic saved him, and, when you were dying, Derek’s touch was the only thing that kept you alive.” Stiles pursed his lips in thought, obviously trying to process what Lydia was saying and wondering if it made any sense. 

“I guess it’s a theory, I mean, you had a lot of my energy in you when you sort of maybe died, maybe, the trade of energy, I don’t know, maybe it did something to my magic? It’s worth a try, right?” Stiles suggested. 

“Why did Derek have your energy?” Scott asked and Derek blushed, while Stiles looked at him in surprise. 

“Did you not tell them that already?” 

“I figured you’d maybe not want them to know, or, I don’t know…” Derek trailed off in embarrassment. 

“Know what?” Isaac pressed.

“Well, to get free of the ropes, Derek needed more energy, and you know, my boosts usually have a lot of excess, although, Rica, you’d be so impressed, I managed to channel the excess, well, actually, all of the energy, it’s like, it was so weird, I could feel the energy coming flooding in and then I just like, shoved it out towards Derek and, yeah, it worked, but, that’s not the point right now, the point is, Derek had my energy, I then saved him somehow, and then he saved me, so, maybe, maybe Peter is right, maybe my magic is tied to you, so, we just need to kiss and see if I can draw any energy from you?” Stiles rambled. 

“Um, yeah, sure, it’s worth a try.” Derek said, not wanting to admit that he’d happily kiss Stiles for no other reason than getting to kiss him. He took a step towards Stiles, ignoring the entire pack that were watching with baited breath, Derek wanted to kick them all out, tell them all to go away, that he wanted Stiles to himself, but, that was turning the whole thing into something that it wasn’t, it was just for energy, just something that every other member of his pack had done. 

“Okay, just, stay still.” Stiles said, closing the distance between them and then Stiles’ lips were on his, Derek could feel something, like a soft tickle in his chest, it was gentle and sweet and Derek somehow just knew it was Stiles, or some part of him anyway, he moved forward, pressing closer to Stiles, deepening the kiss, his hand going to the back of Stiles’ neck, pulling him closer, Derek sucked at his bottom lip and Stiles moaned slightly, opening his mouth and allowing Derek’s tongue entrance to his mouth. They kissed for what could have been seconds or minutes or hours, Derek lost track of time, all he knew was this was perfect, he could do this for the rest of his life and be happy, he opened his eyes slightly and froze. There was a bubble of bright golden light surrounding the two of them, floating gently in the air, the pack were all looking at it in astonishment, Stiles opened his eyes, obviously realising that Derek had stopped kissing him and his eyes went wide in surprise before he pulled away, breaking the kiss and the bubble of light vanished instantly. Derek and Stiles stared at each other, both surprised by the sudden turn of events, Derek watched as the injuries on Stiles vanished in front of his eyes, healed and faded into nothing more that pale marks, he couldn’t believe it, he didn’t feel any weaker, if anything, he felt even stronger than he had before, like Stiles’ magic had increased something inside him. 

“Well that was new.” Allison said quietly and Stiles burst into surprised laughter.

“Uh, yeah, it was.” He agreed, “Do you feel okay? I didn’t want to take too much, but, it was a bit of a headrush.” Stiles asked and Derek nodded, feeling so stunned he wasn’t sure if he could speak. 

“Yeah, I’m, um, I’m good.” Derek said, feeling his vision flash red for a second as his wolf fought for control, wanting to howl out how fantastic their mate was, how perfect he was. 

“You sure? Your eyes just went all Alpha?” Stiles asked. 

“Yeah, no, I don’t, I’m not weakened, I feel, I feel good, like, really good.” Derek said, feeling a little light headed suddenly, “Kind of, like you said, headrush.” He admitted, suddenly feeling his knees buckle and he dropped to the floor. 

“Derek!” Stiles called out in panic, rushing towards him and grabbing his cheeks, “Can you hear me? Are you alright?”

“I’m okay.” Derek said, looking at Stiles as his vision flickered red again, “Honestly, I’m okay, just, like I said, I feel good.” He said, taking a few steadying breaths before his vision went back to normal. 

“You’re not, you just collapsed.” Stiles argued, examining him for any sign of injuries, worried that he’d taken too much energy and Derek was suffering the price. “You’re light headed, god, I took too much energy, I know I did, I’m such an idiot, I’m sorry, just, it didn’t feel like, it doesn’t matter, fuck, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“Stiles. I’m fine.” Derek interrupted, “I feel light headed because, well, it’s like a power rush, I feel good, like, really good. It’s just, I needed a second to adjust, but, I’m not weakened, I feel, it’s, I think I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.” Derek replied and Stiles stared at him like he’d lost his mind, “Seriously, I think, I think you, I mean, whatever just happened, I think it gave me a power boost?” 

“Is that possible?” Kira asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“Don’t ask me. I thought I knew pretty much everything about my magic but apparently, I healed Derek from the brink of death and learned how to channel the excess energy from the boosts, maybe it’s something to do with that? Like, somehow, because of me maybe saving your life, our power levels are linked together somehow for the time being? Like, I get a power boost and so do you?” 

“I guess, maybe?” Derek nodded in agreement. 

“There’s another explanation.” Peter said and everyone turned to look at him, “I think you’re over complicating the situation, I don’t think it has anything to do with Stiles’ magic, or, the two of you saving each other or whatever, I think it’s to do with the fact that we’re werewolves.” 

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Jackson said. 

“Well…” Peter began. 

“Woah.” Stiles interrupted, pressing a hand against the wall to steady himself for a moment. 

“What is it?” Erica asked. 

“Another shifter, they’ve just passed through my wards.” Stiles explained.

“Where? How far?” Derek quizzed, his wolf already fighting for control at the thought of another shifter invading his territory. 

“About half a mile west, they’re coming through the preserve…” Stiles scrunched his nose up slightly in confusion, “I’ll go check it out.” He said, vanishing from the spot even as Derek reached to grab him to stop him. 

“God dammit!” Derek cursed, shifting instantly to his wolf, racing after Stiles in an attempt to get to him before anything bad happened, he could hear the rest of the pack running after him, but it was white noise, all he could think about was going to Stiles, getting to him.


	16. Chapter 16

Stiles reappeared in the preserve about half a mile from the Hale house, there was a figure ahead of him, half hidden in the shadows from the trees, they were leaning against a tree, almost as if they needed the tree to keep themselves upright. Stiles used his magic to enhance his senses and he caught the scent of blood instantly. 

“Are you injured?” He asked, assessing them carefully to see if they were a threat, he heard the pounding of feet approaching and knew the pack were almost here, a moment later and Derek skidding into the clearing, completed shifted into his wolf, his hackles raised and teeth bared at the intruder, taking a step in front of the intruder, obviously declaring Stiles under his protection. 

“Stiles?” The intruder said, her voice was flooded with pain but also relief, Derek growled dangerously, the person knew Stiles’ name, what if she was here for him? No, Derek wasn’t going to let her get anywhere near him. “Oh thank god.” She whispered, pushing away from the tree and taking a stumbling step towards Stiles before Derek snarled and she froze. 

“Jane?” Stiles said in recognition, pushing past Derek and moving towards her, Derek snapped unhappily at him and Stiles rolled his eyes, “Relax snappy wolf, she’s a friend.” Derek grumbled, sticking next to Stiles, ready to attack Jane the second she made a wrong move. Stiles ignored Derek, instead moving to Jane and pushing back her hood, “Jane, Jesus Christ what happened?” Stiles took in the bruises and cuts on her face, he could see the blood staining her jumper, her stomach was bleeding and it looked bad, for her to not be healing, she must have been poisoned with something or another, or hurt by an Alpha, or hurt badly enough that she should be dead. 

“Stiles, oh, Stiles, thank god, they’re coming, they’re coming for you.” Jane said, right before her eyes rolled upwards and she dropped like a sack of potatoes, thankfully Stiles caught her before she hit the floor, the pack had all surged forward, instantly forming a circle around Stiles as if to protect him from anybody attempting to cause him harm. 

“What the hell did she mean!? Who’s coming for you? Who is she? What’s going on?” Malia quizzed and Stiles shrugged. 

“I don’t know who she’s talking about. Her name is Jane, she’s a cheetah, she works for the council, or, worked for the council, I, um, I don’t know who she’s working for, if she’s working for anyone.” Stiles said. 

“Jane? Like, Jane from Texas, Jane?” Erica asked and Stiles nodded while Derek wanted to know more about who the hell Jane from Texas was, but the priority right now had to be protecting Stiles from whoever was coming after him. 

“Cheater? On what?” Isaac added.

“No. Cheetah, like, were-cheetah.” Stiles clarified. “I can take her to the council’s cottage, it’s not far from here.” Stiles said and Derek shifted back to human before Stiles could do something stupid like teleport the pair of them away to safety. 

“The house is closer.” Derek growled, “No arguments Stiles. If somebody is coming after you, you’re staying close to us. No arguments. We’ll take her back to ours, then we’ll get some answers out of her.” 

“She’s not a spy Derek!” Stiles protested. 

“I don’t care. She shows up here, says somebody is coming for you and then passes out. What if it’s a clever plan to get you alone so she can kill you!? What if she’s pissed about the council being wiped out!? How well do you actually know her!? I’m not leaving you alone with her until we know what’s going on, meaning she comes back to ours. Now. Let’s go.” Derek snarled angrily. 

“Fine.” Stiles said through gritted teeth, glaring at Derek angrily, “Oh, and by the way, trying to growl me into submission doesn’t ever work, and if you think getting naked is a clever attempt to increase those chances, you’re failing. Miserably.” Stiles snapped before scooping Jane into his arms and storming back towards the house, Derek flushed, snatching at the pair of jeans that Lydia threw to him and putting them on as quickly as he could before moving after Stiles and Jane, the rest of the pack snorting with laughter as they followed after them.

Stiles carried Jane up to his bedroom, putting her on the bed and then looking to Melissa for help, she moved forwards, assessing Jane’s injuries as quickly as she could, patching her up as best as she could, stitching the wound on her stomach shut in an attempt to heal her, hoping that the wound would start to heal now it was sealed shut, thankfully it did and within moments Jane was stirring, looking around in confusion until her eyes found Stiles. 

“Stiles, oh thank god, thank god I found you.” Jane said, sitting up and pulling Stiles into a hug, he managed to extract himself a moment later and studied Jane quietly.

“What happened Jane? Who’s after you?” Stiles queried. 

“Richard’s men, apparently he teamed up with some Alpha from London, somebody you’ve met before or something, they sent people out after those of us who’d declare their allegiance to you, apparently Richard was planning on getting us all together at some bunker, executing us in front of you.” Jane explained and the pack all stared at her like she was insane. 

“Richard and Jake are dead, they have been for almost two weeks.” Peter growled. 

“Well somebody needs to tell those guys that, Mel and I were attacked yesterday on our way here.” Jane replied. 

“Mel? She was with you? Where is she?” Stiles asked and Jane shook her head. 

“They captured us, Mel used her last resort, she bought me enough time to get away, to come here and warn you.” Jane explained. 

“What the hell is ‘last resort’?” Derek growled and Jane ducked her head in submission. 

“Derek!” Stiles scolded, “Sorry Jane, I didn’t give proper introductions, Jane this is Alpha Hale, Alpha Hale, Jane Moore.” Derek knew that name, the woman Stiles had spoken to on the phone previously, the woman who joked about the ‘sensational’ night they had together, offering him a repeat, Derek gritted his teeth and nodded at her, trying not to think of the two of them having sex, knowing that he was stinking out the room with jealously, but not able to help himself. 

“Alpha Hale.” Jane replied respectfully, baring her neck before Derek nodded and she visibly relaxed. 

“So, what’s this ‘last resort’? And what do you mean those of you who have declared allegiance to Stiles?” Lydia asked. 

“Yeah, I’m confused by that one too.” Stiles muttered. 

“Um, well, last resort, all casters can do it, have you, um, have you not told them?” She said to Stiles who shrugged. 

“I told Rica.” 

“Of course you did.” Derek muttered in annoyance, rolling his eyes. “What is a last resort?”

“Casters can basically turn their magic into a bomb.” Erica said and they all looked at Stiles with wide eyes, “Mica obviously knows better than I do, but, like, simple terms, they turn themselves into a walking bomb, if they can’t get out of a situation, if there’s no hope, if it’s a matter of saving themselves or saving the world, they can turn themselves into a bomb, obliterate anything in the surrounding area.” 

“Which is what this Mel did?” Derek asked for clarification and Jane nodded, “And, you, you’ve never, um, never thought about doing that?”

“Yeah, sure, I’ve thought about it, was planning on doing it when we were messing with that portal demon, but, it wasn’t necessary in the end, so it was fine.” Stiles shrugged casually and Derek fought back the urge to snap his neck, where the hell was his sense of self-preservation!?

“So when you told us to run?” Scott muttered in shock, and Stiles shrugged like they weren’t talking about him turning into himself into a bomb. 

“It doesn’t matter. Bigger question, what do you mean ‘allegiance to me’? There’s no allegiance to be had, I’m not, I left the council, I’m nothing.” Stiles said. 

“You’re not nothing Stiles, you’re the spark, you could do anything you wanted, the council are gone, but you’re not, you could take up the mantle, become the leader…”

“Woah, woah, let me stop you right there.” Stiles interrupted, “I am not leading anybody, I’m not a leader…”

“Well we’ll follow you regardless.” Jane interrupted. 

“I don’t want anyone to follow me!” Stiles argued and Jane just rolled her eyes. 

“You don’t really have much choice in the matter, I mean, we pretty much all come to you for advice, or we pass that advice on to anyone who needs it, you always offer to help, you’d never put us in any danger if you can help it, you’d never ask any of us to do something you wouldn’t do yourself, you’re already a leader to us, you’re the only one who hasn’t realised that.” Jane replied, “Come on Stiles, since the second you graduated, no, since before that, since the second you arrived at the compound, you made every effort to learn everything you could, within months people were talking about how talented you were, you looked out for everyone, you were like a parent to the other students, always ready to help them, you have no idea about the effect you have on people, you’ve proven yourself to all of us Stiles, over and over again, how many times have you risked your own life to protect another member? How many times have you weakened yourself to help us? Or stayed up for days on end because there’s something you don’t know that could help us? Admit it Stiles, you care about us and you’re the only one that can lead us.” 

“I’m not leading you anywhere Jane. None of you. All that matters right now is getting to whoever killed Mel and tried to kill you, making sure we stop them before they hurt anyone else.” Stiles snapped and there was silence as everyone tried to process everything Jane had said before Derek focused on the important thing. 

“How many active members of the council are there?” 

“There were sixty-eight.” Stiles clarified. 

“How many of them are still alive? Involved in this? On our side? Or on Richard’s?” Derek quizzed. 

“We think there’s still fifty alive, five of them took in the students who didn’t want to get involved…”

“How many students did?” Lydia asked. 

“Four of the twenty went with Richard.” 

“Alright, so, four students and forty-five council members, that’s not that bad, right?” Isaac asked nervously. 

“No, four students and fifteen council members, the rest sided with Stiles, they’ve been carrying on the council work, but, we’ve all been in touch, all agreed to come to Beacon Hills, convince you to be our leader, except, Mel and I were attacked on the way, and, I haven’t been able to get hold of any of the others.” Jane explained tearfully. 

“How could thirty trained casters get taken out by nineteen others, four of who are still students?” Peter queried. 

“Three, Pete was one of them and he died at the bunker, along with Jake and four of his pack, but, the rest of his pack, if they’re carrying out Jake’s final wish, or, trying to avenge his death or whatever, Jackson? Is that something they’re likely to do? You’d know better than us.” Stiles said. 

“Yeah, um, yeah, they were loyal to him, he treated them like shit, but, yeah, they’d be happy to avenge his death.”

“Which brings their numbers up, by, what? Another twelve?” Stiles asked. 

“Eleven. Jake killed one of them between when you visited and when you rescued me.” 

“Right, okay, so, thirty of them, splitting up, taking them out one-by-one, or a few at once, it would be pretty simple.” Stiles shrugged, “The plus side is, we know where they’re taking them, and, I’m willing to bet they know you made it to me alive, they’re not going to kill them, not until I get there.” 

“Which means you should stay the hell away and we should go take care of it.” Derek said. 

“Yeah, sure, that’s a great plan, how are you going to defeat the casters?” Stiles said sarcastically. 

“I’ll kill them before they can use any magic.” Derek replied. 

“Sure, hang on,” Stiles said, raising a finger and suddenly Derek couldn’t move, couldn’t shift even the slightest bit, all he could do was glare at Stiles, “How’s that working out for you so far?” He smirked, dropping the magic so Derek could move again. 

“So your plan is to storm in there and take on nineteen casters and an entire pack?” Derek snapped. 

“No. That’s idiotic.” Stiles said simply and Derek paused in surprise, he’d been sure that was exactly was Stiles was going to suggest. “First off, you guys go in there and all they’ve got is a load more hostages for me to rescue. So, no, you’re not going to get anywhere near the casters. But, I do have a plan.” 

“Okay, let’s hear it.” Noah said. 

“Alright, well, step one, get Jake’s pack outside the bunker, without the casters, in a fair fight, us versus them, there’s no contest. So, part one, I lure the pack out, Jane is going to pretend that she’s decided I’m more hassle than I’m worth, make them think that she’s going to hand me over, but, she knows the pack operate under the old laws, I killed their Alpha, the pack gets first refusal on my death. They’ll take her up on the offer, leave the casters behind because they won’t want to share, the pack arrives at an agreed meeting point, we take them out.” Stiles explained. 

“How’s she going to get in touch with the pack?” Kira said. 

“I’ve still got some of their numbers, she could say that she stole my phone or something?” Jackson suggested. 

“Perfect.” Stiles grinned, “From then on, it’s simple, we go to the bunker, you guys stay outside, I go in, search room by room, take out anyone in the way, finish the job. Simple.” 

“Nothing is ever simple with you. I don’t like the idea of you going in alone.” Erica said, the rest of the pack nodding behind her in agreement. 

“It’s magic Rica, you know you can’t go up against it.” Stiles said, taking her hand gently, “But it’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.” 

“What if the pack don’t take the bait?” Scott said. 

“Then we come up with a new plan.” Stiles replied simply, “But we won’t have to, this will work, I know it will.” He looked to Jane, “Do you need time to rest? Or can we get started now?” 

“No, I can, I can do it.” She said, teeth gritted with determination.

“Okay, well, let’s do this then. Jacks? You got your phone?” Stiles asked and Jackson handed it over. “Alright, just, call one of them, say that you’ve decided to hand me over to them in exchange for your life or something, agree a meeting place and then we can get this sorted.” 

“Sure.” Jane said, looking nervous but determined, she was going to do this, she was going to make them pay for killing Mel and any others that had already died at their hands, she dialled the first pack member she found on the contact list and listened to it ring. 

“What do you want traitor?” A man growled back down the line. 

“It’s not Jackson. My name is Jane Moore, you’ve been looking for me.”

“So? Called to tell us that you’re safe with that traitor and the rest of that pathetic pack? They can’t protect you, in fact, we’re coming for them too, they’ll all die because of that little fucker.”

“Fine with me.” Jane said and she could hear the surprise from several people who were obviously listening in on the conversation, “Look, I never really liked him, I just, I didn’t want to go against him, he’s powerful, you know? But, firstly, I don’t want to die and siding with him, it puts me in the firing line, and, also, well, he’s also a dick, and, if you’ve got the ability to take him out, then I want to give you the opportunity.” 

“You want to hand him over?” 

“Yeah, look, I told them that I needed some space, stole Jackson’s phone and got your number, I could suggest to Stiles that the two of us go out into the preserve on a tracking mission, we could plan an ambush, he killed your Alpha, you have the right to his blood before I contact any members of the council, but, if you’d prefer I call them?” 

“No, no, he’s ours, it’s our right as of the old laws.” 

“Exactly. So, you spare my life and he’s all yours, agreed?”

“Agreed.” 

“Great, so, where do you want me to lead him to?” Jane replied while Stiles grinned at her. 

“We’re about three miles out of Beacon Hills, the casters said his wards are another few miles yet, we don’t want to trigger them, is there any way you can get him outside of the wards without the rest of the pack noticing?” 

“Yeah, no problem, I’ll tell him that I want to look for Mel, that maybe she survived,” Jane cleared her throat as if she was on the verge of tears before she swallowed, “He’ll want to help and he’s too big-headed to think he’ll need help, I can get him out there without any issues. Do you have any way to incapacitate him when you get to him? Only, if he’s still got magic we’re not going to be very successful?”

“I’m not dragging it out, I’ll kill him the second I see him. But, he won’t be expecting it from you, stay behind him, knock him out when we appear and then I’ll rip his throat out when he’s unable to defend himself.” 

“Okay.” Jane agreed while Stiles just rolled his eyes at their stupidity and Derek did his best not to growl at the thought of this man killing Stiles when he was unconscious. “We’ll be out past the wards within the next hour.” 

“Good, we’ll find you as soon as you pass through the wards.” The man replied before disconnecting the call. 

“Well that’s a good start.” Isaac said and everyone let out shaky laughs of relief. 

“It can’t be that easy? I mean, they have to suspect a trap?” Lydia mumbled. 

“You’d be surprised what people are willing to do when they think they’re going to die.” Stiles shrugged, “They think Jane is desperate, she doesn’t want to die, she’s seen Mel die, she’s picked a side, turns out it’s the wrong side, she doesn’t want to die, she’s willing to change sides if they’re willing to spare her, chances are they’ll still try and kill you, but, they’ll wait until I’m dead. Plus side being, neither of those things are going to happen, as soon as they make their appearance I freeze them in place, we tell them to clear out or die, and then go from there, sound like a plan?” 

“Yeah, definitely. We should get going, we’ll wait inside the wards, far enough away that they can’t pick up on our presence, as soon as they show up, we’ll be right behind you.” Noah said and Stiles nodded. 

“Perfect.” Stiles said, using his magic to conjure a light armour with knives and guns at his sides. 

“I’ll never get over how freaking cool that is.” Scott muttered and Stiles grinned at him before they headed out of the house and into the preserve. Jane and Stiles walked about forty feet ahead of them, just in case it was some kind of trap, Derek could still hear Stiles’ heart beating clearly and steadily so he wasn’t worried, well, not completely and utterly terrified, he was still worried he guessed, not because he didn’t have faith in Stiles, because he did, he knew Stiles was more than capable of taking on anyone who came at him, but, he was worried, because if anything happened to Stiles, he knew the pack would all fall apart, he knew he would fall apart. The thought of a world without Stiles in it made everything seem dark and empty and Derek wasn’t sure how long he would survive if anything happened to Stiles, so, yeah, he was worried. 

Derek heard both Stiles and Jane come to a stop and he signalled for the rest of the pack to freeze, he concentrated on their voices, finding it easier than ever since the kiss with Stiles earlier. 

“My wards are a few meters ahead, if we pass through them, we won’t have any warning of anybody coming for us.” Stiles said, no doubt for the benefit of Jake’s pack. 

“You would have felt it if Mel passed through your wards, which means she’s out there somewhere, we have to go look for her.” Jane pressed. 

“Okay, but, we need to be careful, you should stay behind me, just in case anybody decides to attack us.” Stiles replied. 

“Agreed. You’ve got a much better defence than I have.” Jane said and Stiles chuckled quietly before moving forwards again, Derek told the pack to wait, all of them crouched in the preserve, waiting silently in anticipation, ready to ambush the pack as soon as they arrived, Derek closed his eyes, ignoring the small sounds of the pack around him, blocking out their heartbeats, their hushed breathing, the rustle of their clothing as they shifted slightly, instead he extended his senses, listened to Stiles’ heartbeat, to the breath rushing in and out of his lungs, the clink of the chainmail he wore on his chest as he moved, the slight crunch of leaves under his feet as he walked. 

“Derek!” Erica hissed in his ear and Derek startled slightly, turning to look at her in annoyance. “We need to move forward, we can’t hear him anymore!” 

“I can, it’s okay, he’s fine. Besides, the closer we are, the more chance the other pack pick up on our presence and go running to the casters, just, let me concentrate.” He said before closing his eyes again and zoning in on Stiles. 

“Do you know how far you were from here when you were attacked?” Stiles asked. 

“Not far.” Jane replied loudly, “A mile maybe, I think we’d let our guard down a little bit, thinking we were so close to getting to you, it’s how they surprised us, and, then, well, then I lost her, she could still be out here.” 

“Okay, but so could the people who attacked you…”

“Mel!?” Jane shouted loudly and Stiles startled. 

“What are you doing!? Anybody could be out here listening! We need to do this quietly.” 

“Right, yeah, sure, sorry, I didn’t think, I just, I thought she might be hiding, waiting until it was safe to come out…”

“It’s definitely not safe for you now.” A voice said and Stiles and Jane looked around in amazement, the entirety of Jake’s pack had emerged from the trees in front of them, their eyes glowing, fangs and claws already out, but, worse than that, the remains of the council were gathered with them too, there were easily thirty people waiting to rip and tear them to shreds and no matter how powerful Stiles was, he didn’t believe he could beat several other casters and shifters, it just wasn’t possible. 

“What is it Stiles? Surprised to see us?” Holly snarled and Stiles shrugged, his mind racing, trying to think of a way out of this. “Lucky I overheard Jane’s phone call, this lot were going to come running off alone, but, I know her, and I know how loyal she is to you, there’s no way she’d betray you.” 

“Now we get to kill you.” One of the pack snarled and Stiles tensed slightly. 

“That sounds great but, honestly, I don’t think you’ve thought this through, I mean, yeah, chances are I’m going to die, but, how many of you die first?” He said, pushing Jane gently behind him and taking a few steps backwards, “You’ve heard the stories, you know how powerful I am, you really want to be the one to kill me? Well, I’m right here, come at me.” He growled. One of the pack members lunged forwards and Stiles threw a hand out, throwing him backwards into one of the trees, he shoved Jane roughly back in the direction of where he hoped the pack were still waiting for the signal, he just prayed they’d all get away safely. 

Before Jane could take more than a step back the way she had come the entire Hale pack burst into the clearing, Derek appeared first, fully shifted and snarling dangerously at the other pack, his eyes flashing red as he snapped his jaws in their direction. Stiles stilled for a second when he saw the rest of the wolves appear, it took him a second to recognise each one, somehow, they had all shifted completely, it was amazing and awe-inspiring and Stiles wanted to spend his time studying each of the markings on their coats, but he couldn’t, not right now, not when a single moment of distraction could be the difference between life and death. His dad, Melissa, Allison, Kira and Lydia appeared next, all of them with weapons out, pointing them in the direction of the opposing group, Stiles wasn’t sure if he felt terror or hope, because, maybe, with these numbers, they stood a chance, but, there was still a chance some of them could die, because of him, because of his stupid plan, he couldn’t let that happen, he had to protect them with everything he could. 

“This changes nothing!” Holly shouted, “Kill the spark!” She roared, charging forward towards Stiles, Malia leaped towards her, trying to block her path and Holly threw a hand up, throwing Malia backwards towards the nearest tree, Stiles watched in horror as she hit the tree hard, as she fell to the floor motionless, he enhanced his hearing, concentrated on hearing her heart beating steadily, she was alive, just unconscious. 

Everything seemed to slow down and speed up all at once, everyone moving forwards, the wolves leaping into the fray, Jake’s pack lunging forward, claws ready to shred through anything in their path. Stiles concentrated on the other casters, blocking their magic so that they couldn’t hurt the pack, he was aware of movements around him, aware of wolves scratching and tearing with their teeth and claws, aware of half shifted members of Jake’s pack doing their best to rip their way through to the humans of the Hale pack, aware of the other casters doing their best to shift the fight in their favour even as they fought against Stiles, aware that although they were fighting the Hale pack, their only priority was killing Stiles, that he would always be their main target and if he let his guard slip for even a moment, he would be dead. 

Stiles was doing his best but he was losing, he knew that, there was blood dripping into his eye, more running from a gash along his thigh and his chest was bruised, his ribs maybe even broken, thankfully the chainmail had taken the brunt of the impact which was probably the only reason why his chest hadn’t been caved in but still, it hurt to breathe. He kept getting distracted, using magic to separate some of the wolves when it looked like the Hale member was losing, there were a few bodies scattered around the clearing but they were still outnumbered and Stiles didn’t know how much longer they could hold out. He heard a pained yelp and looked around to see Scott go down, claw marks raking his side and rear leg, the wolf that had inflicted the damage was closing in for the kill, smirking even as she crouched down next to him. Stiles turned his back on the casters that were attempting to kill him, throwing his hands out and grabbing her with his magic, throwing her away from Scott, snapping her neck even as she flew through the air. 

“Mica!” His dad shouted in panic at the same time as Stiles felt something hit him square in the back, he stumbled slightly, the breath completely knocked out of him, he saw Scott’s eyes go wide with fear, the entire pack seemed to still at once and then run towards him but Stiles knew they were going to be too late, he teleported, reappearing next to a tree on the other side of the clearing, everyone was still staring at the spot he’d vanished from, Derek turned first, his nostrils flaring, he ran towards Stiles, complete terror in his eyes as Stiles felt a sharp pain in his chest, he looked down, more than a little surprised to see the end of a knife sticking out the front of his chest. 

“Stiles!” Melissa called, running forward, the rest of the pack moving towards Stiles whereas the others were standing still, vicious smiles on their lips. Derek shifted back to human instantly, his hands on Stiles’ arms keeping him upright. 

“You’re going to be fine, you’re going to be fine Stiles.” Derek reassured him, even as tears filled his eyes and he looked to Melissa for help. 

“Sure.” Stiles muttered sarcastically, reaching to his back and ripping the knife out even as Melissa and Derek tried to stop him, Stiles let out a gasp of pain, his knees threatening to buckle, Derek gripped his cheeks tight in his hands, looking at him seriously. 

“You’re going to be fine Stiles.” He said with determination before leaning in and kissing Stiles, pulling away a second later when Stiles pushed at him gently. 

“Pointless. Going to lose. I’m dying, might as well take them with me.” Stiles whispered and tears spilled from Derek’s eyes. 

“No, no, it’s not pointless Stiles, you just, you have to take my energy, you have to, just, just take it Stiles.” He muttered but Stiles shook his head firmly, summoning all of his strength to stand up tall and look at those who remained of the council and Jake’s pack. 

“Derek, take the pack, get them out of here.” He said, beginning to gather all the magic he had left in his chest, he was going to end this, now. 

“Stiles! No!” Derek argued desperately, he could see the others moving closer, ready to finish the job, his pack the only thing standing between them and a dying Stiles, they had to get him out of here, they had to get him to safety. 

“Der, please, just, get my dad out of here, get Scott, get all of them away, make sure they’re safe.” Stiles said, coughing slightly and almost choking on the blood at the back of his throat, he didn’t have long, he could feel it already, he was dying, he was going to die, god, he was going to die. Derek’s face swam in and out of focus for a second and Stiles swayed, trying to clear his head even as his dad and Melissa grabbed his arm tightly. “Go, you’ve got to go.” 

“We’re not leaving you kiddo, not now, not ever.” Noah said, he could see what Stiles was planning, could see it in his eyes, “I’d rather die at your side than leave you here to die alone.” He said, turning and pointing his gun in the direction of the other pack, shooting quickly, hitting one of them square in the chest. It was enough to shatter the moment and they all charged forward, the fight resuming in earnest, all of them trying to claw their way through to Stiles while the Hale pack fought them off as viciously as they could. 

“You heard him Stiles, we’re not leaving you, so take my energy and help us beat them, or don’t and we all die.” Derek said, pressing against the wound in Stiles’ chest to try and stop the flow of blood. 

“Okay.” Stiles mumbled, his eyes half closed, as soon as Stiles agreed to it Derek surged forward, pressing their lips together, putting a hand on the back of Stiles’ neck and pulling him closer, like he could force his energy out and into Stiles. He could hear people shouting, shouting to stop him, the sounds of fighting were loud but the blood thundering in his ears was louder, he didn’t feel any weaker and he was terrified that Stiles was still refusing to take his energy except when he opened his eyes he could see the same glow surrounding them that had been there earlier, Stiles was looking at him with wide eyes, neither of them broke the kiss, instead Derek reached down and touched Stiles’ chest, amazed to find that the wound had almost completely healed and instead of feeling weaker, Derek felt strong, powerful, like he could do anything. 

Derek saw one of Jake’s pack break past Isaac and Cora and lunge straight for Stiles, he broke the kiss, pushing Stiles out of the way and shifted back to his wolf, the change coming easier than he would have thought possible, jumping at the wolf and ripping his throat out with ease, he looked to Stiles, to make sure he was okay, Stiles was standing tall, the wound almost completely healed, his hands glowing with magic as he launched fireballs at the remaining council members before he teleported behind them and caught them by surprise, forcing them to fight on two fronts. 

Within minutes they’d turned the fight in their favour, there were several injuries but they were already beginning to heal, the wolves doing their best to ensure that the humans suffered nothing more than a few minor scratches, the only council member that had come anywhere close to ripping Noah’s heart out had died painfully within seconds when Erica pounced at her unprotected back and pretty much decapitated the woman before she landed on the floor, looking up to Noah to check he was okay. 

Stiles was on the opposite side of the clearing, fighting off the remaining casters, their numbers were slowly diminishing, in fact, as Derek took care of another member of the pack that was attempting to rip Jackson limb from limb, he realised that the numbers were actually in their favour. Whereas the majority of Jake’s pack and the council were dead, all of the Hale pack were still standing, admittedly, maybe some of them were slightly more covered in blood than he would like, but, they were all still alive for now and Stiles seemed to be the one they had to thank for that as he kept pulling the intruders away using magic whenever they looked to be gaining the upper hand in their fights. 

Derek lost track of Stiles when two of Jake’s pack pounced on him, both of them piling on top of him and using their claws to rip and shred at him, he did his best to throw them off him and then there was a sudden explosion from where he’d last seen Stiles and the weight above him vanished. He scrambled back to his feet, getting all four paws on the ground and looking around for the source of the explosion, terrified of what he might see, instead he saw Stiles, he was hovering a few inches of the ground, his eyes glowing gold, his skin glowing gold, his magic coursing through him, he looked deadly and dangerous and ready to defend them to the death, he unleashed his magic and it flowed out like a whip, flying through the air, wrapping around the neck of the nearest council member and then pulling them forwards, off their feet and slamming them into the nearest tree. 

Stiles was down to six opponents now and Derek could smell the uncertainty coming off them from here, he looked around, the pack members that had been trying to rip him apart were lying unmoving on the floor, their hearts no longer beating, he glanced at the rest of his pack, trying to reassure himself that they were okay and stared in amazement as he realised all of Jake’s pack were dead, in fact, there were only the six casters left and all their attention seemed to be focused on Stiles. He had no idea what Stiles had done, what kind of explosion he’d caused to kill the remains of Jake’s pack, but, right now, he didn’t care, all that mattered was killing the remaining casters and getting Stiles back to the house in one piece so Derek could spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to him. 

Derek slammed hard into an invisible barrier about two feet away from the nearest caster, hard enough that he bounced backwards a few feet and lost his footing, he scrambled back to his feet, the rest of the pack standing at his side, teeth bared, hackles raised and claws digging into the dirt as the humans of his pack came between them and reached out gently, their fingertips touching the barrier and not being able to pass any further. At first Derek thought it was Stiles’ magic, after all it would be just like him to try and protect all of them by sacrificing his own safety, except, as soon as that thought entered Derek’s mind he also realised how weak Stiles had become since their kiss, it was obvious now that he was looking for it, Stiles was trembling slightly, his skin pale even as it glowed with magic, he was holding the others casters off, that was it, Stiles wasn’t going to waste magic trying to stop Derek or the others from helping him, right now, he needed as much help as he could get. 

A shot rang out and Derek ducked slightly as the bullet bounced off the barrier and nearly hit him, he turned to look incredulously at Noah who shrugged apologetically before turning back to look at the casters, one of them was grimacing slightly, shoving a hand in the direction of the barrier and Derek realised that the more they tried to break it, the more magic the caster had to use to maintain it, he launched himself into it again, feeling the impact and staggering back to his feet again to repeat his actions, within seconds the rest of the pack cottoned on to his plan and they all launched themselves forward almost in unison.

Within moments the caster had to turn her full attention to keeping the barrier up and Stiles used her distraction to his advantage, launching a fire ball at her back and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious or dead, Derek wasn’t sure and he honestly didn’t care, the barrier collapsed at the same time she did and Derek ran forwards, leaping at the back of the nearest caster and burying his teeth into the soft flesh of his neck. 

The pack all followed after him, their claws ripping and tearing, their teeth snapping and rending their way through them, even as Stiles continued to battle the remaining casters, there was only two of them left now, one of them turned towards the pack, sending out a pulse of magic and blasting them backwards. It caused Derek to stumble slightly but it was nothing compared to what he’d witnessed Stiles being able to do, and within seconds he was back on his feet, running straight for him, determined to tear the man apart for trying to kill Stiles, instead Derek was hit by a fireball and he yelped in pain, falling to the ground and trying to get back up but finding his feet wouldn’t support him. 

Jane jumped forwards, dodging around the first fireball sent in her direction before the second one hit her shoulder and she fell to the floor. The caster was throwing fireballs at the entire pack, his back was turned to Stiles who was still battling valiantly against the one remaining caster, there were flashes of light blasting around the clearing and with the combined fireballs that were being thrown around it was becoming incredibly dangerous, but, Derek didn’t care, Stiles was still in danger and, yes, at the moment he was only facing one opponent, but Stiles was on his last legs, he was exhausted, his reactions were slowing, it was becoming blatantly obvious that Stiles wasn’t going to be able to last much longer, they had to finish this and they had to finish it now. 

Derek scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the throbbing burn from his side where the most recent fireball had hit him, he crouched, waited for the opportune moment and then pounced forward, sinking his claws into the man’s chest and his teeth into his throat. The final caster must have realised that everything had fallen silent around her and she stilled, Derek thought it was over, that she was surrendering and they were all safe, he assumed Stiles thought so too as he stopped blasting magic at her, instead standing still, panting slightly, looking exhausted, like he was on the verge of collapse but at least he was alive. Then, suddenly, Stiles’ eyes went wide with panic and the caster smirked at them, Stiles took a step towards her, throwing his hands up in terror and a second later everything exploded.

Derek saw the caster explode, using her magic as a bomb, and he threw his hands up to try and protect himself, the explosion seemed to hit a barrier which halted it for the briefest second before it shattered and everyone was thrown backwards into the surrounding trees. 

Derek blinked a few times, trying to clear the dirt from his eyes, his ears were ringing and he raised his fingers slowly, feeling wet on them, he didn’t remember shifting back to human, didn’t remember hitting the tree behind him with enough force that it had toppled, all he knew was that the ringing in his ears wouldn’t stop, the grit in his eyes didn’t seem to want to clear and there was blood on his head. He blinked a few more times and caught sight of somebody next to him, they were lying still, too still, he turned and saw Lydia, she was lay on the ground, her hair spread out behind her, blood on her cheek, more at her shoulder, her scrambled towards her, resting a hand on her cheek and listening for her heartbeat even as she started to stir. 

“Lydia! Lydia? Can you hear me?” Derek said, he thought he might be shouting, his ears were ringing so loudly, but, god, he needed her to be okay, Jackson appeared next to her, dirt smeared across his face, resting a hand on top of Derek’s telling him it was okay, that he had her and Derek moved away, looking for the others, checking that his pack were all alive and okay, they’d all shifted back to human, other than a few scratches and some rapidly healing injuries they were okay, he didn’t know how, he didn’t know how they hadn’t all been killed by the blast, he could only guess Stiles had used the last of his magic to throw a barrier up, to try and contain the blast and that the delay, no matter how short, had undoubtedly saved their lives. He stilled, unable to believe he’d forgotten. 

“Stiles!” He muttered, looking around for him and unable to see him anywhere, “Stiles!” He called louder, ignoring the trickle of blood running down from his temple, where was Stiles!? Where was he?! “Stiles!?” He shouted louder, aware of the pack beginning to turn to him, counting their members, realising that Stiles wasn’t among them. 

“Mica!” Erica cried out, sounding terrified, spinning around the clearing, looking for Stiles, pressing a hand against her ear as she stumbled slightly, “Mica!? Where are you!? Answer me goddammit!” She shouted, the rest of the pack beginning to shout out for Stiles. 

“I’ve got him!” Peter called and everyone ran towards him, practically tripping over their own feet as they raced towards him. Stiles had been blown backwards at least twenty feet by the blast, somehow, miraculously, he’d missed all the trees, if he’d hit one of them the impact would have killed him, but, somehow, he was still alive. “He’s okay, he’s alright, you’re alright, right?” Peter said in reassurance from where he was cradling Stiles in his arms carefully. 

“Yeah.” Stiles groaned, his voice cracking with pain and exhaustion, his voice was barely louder than a whisper and he sounded like he was ready to sleep for a month, but, incredibly he was alive and he was conscious and Derek just wanted to hug him, hold him tightly, but he couldn’t because Stiles didn’t want him to, Stiles tried to sit up and got part way before he winced, clutching at his side where blood was spilling from a wound there. 

“Let me see!” Melissa said, rushing forward and examining the wound, while Stiles leaned back against Peter, they could all see the sweat forming on his brow, see the way his fingers trembled as he tried to stay as still as he could. “It looks like something tore through you, any idea what it was?” 

“No clue.” Stiles panted breathlessly. 

“Does it really matter what it was!?” Erica said, practically pushing Melissa out of the way, “Here, just take some of my energy and heal yourself.” Erica said, pressing her lips to Stiles’ and paling slightly, within moments the wound in his side began to heal and Erica pulled away a minute later, checking that Stiles was okay before standing up and swaying slightly until Boyd wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against him. “Better?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles mumbled, still looking like he was on the verge of passing out. 

“You need more.” Isaac said.

“I’m fine, I’m just, tired, used too much magic I think, just need to sleep, I’m okay, just tired, don’t worry, honestly, seriously, I’m just really tired.” He muttered, shrugging out of Peter’s grip and attempting to get to his feet, resting his hand against the nearest tree to keep himself upright. 

“We should get you to bed.” Jane said and Stiles let out a dark chuckle. 

“Anything to get me back into bed, huh?” He tried to joke and Derek fought back a growl, getting jealous right now wasn’t going to help anything. 

“Well, the lead up was pretty fun.” She remarked. 

“That’s because you’d never seen a dragon before.” Stiles retorted, he winced, standing up a little straighter and taking an unsteady step back in the direction of the house, “For those of us who had, it wasn’t that exciting.” 

“Come on, let me help you.” Erica sighed, ducking under Stiles’ arm, pulling it around her shoulder and wrapping her arm around his waist, holding him up as they started walking back to the house. 

“We need to go to the bunker, make sure that anyone they captured, that they’re safe.” Stiles muttered sounding exhausted and Derek shook his head in exasperation, he knew Stiles was making sense, they did need to check that everyone else was safe, but, Stiles needed to rest, he needed to take the time to look after himself, not going running off trying to save everyone else when he was barely staying upright as it was. 

“Okay, sure.” Erica agreed, steering them back towards the house, Derek was going to tell her to stop being so stupid but Erica glanced back at him and shook her head, so Derek stayed quiet, by the time the house came into view Stiles was practically asleep standing up, Scott went to his other side and the two of them helped Stiles up the stairs before laying him down on the bed. Stiles mumbled quietly about getting to the others before he rolled over, saying something about the pillow being made of air before he snored gently and Derek felt a fond smile on his lips. The entire pack retreated to their own rooms, cleaning up, getting rid of any evidence of their fight, removing the dirt and blood from their skin and putting on fresh sets of clothes before they returned to Stiles’ room.

“How’d you know that’d work?” Isaac whispered and Erica shrugged. 

“I didn’t, but, I knew if I argued with him Stiles would just dig his heels in, agreeing with him made sure he relaxed, no need to argue his case, and, it worked I guess. But, he’s right, we do need to go check the bunker, in case anyone stayed behind, in case they kill the people that are trapped there.” Erica advised. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Derek agreed, not wanting to leave Stiles alone when he was so vulnerable, feeling torn, he wanted to go to the bunker, but, leaving Stiles felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest, but, he couldn’t send his pack into danger without being there, no, he had to go to the bunker, “Boyd, will you and Erica stay with Stiles please?” He asked, trusting that his second in command would be willing to die before letting anything bad happen to Stiles. 

“I should come with you.” Boyd replied, “You might need the back-up, someone else should stay with Erica and Stiles.” 

“Excuse me, what makes you think I’m staying while you lot run off into possible danger?” Erica argued. 

“I’ll stay with him.” Jane said and Erica snorted. 

“No way, that’s not happening, not after last time.” 

“I won’t do that again, I swear.” Jane blushed. 

“Like I have any reason to trust you.” Erica snapped. 

“What happened last time?” Kira asked innocently. 

“I misread the situation that’s all.” Jane shrugged and Erica laughed coldly. 

“You call that misreading the situation!? Seriously? They were after a dragon, Stiles got hurt, Jane knew about the whole getting energy from sleeping next to someone so they went to bed together, although Stiles said he was fine, Jane insisted.” 

“So? We’ve done that too?” Malia shrugged, not really seeing what the big deal was. 

“Yeah well somewhere around the time when Stiles was half-asleep, Jane thought it was a good idea to try and have sex with him, which when Stiles realised what was going on, and the fact they were both completely naked, which they weren’t when they went to sleep, he freaked out and practically fell out of the bed.” Erica explained and Jane flushed guiltily. “He’s convinced that it was part of the running joke all of you guys have which is why he said it was fine and laughed it off, but, that was just one step too far in my opinion so forgive me for not letting you stay alone with him.” 

“You did what!?” Cora screeched in anger.

“Long running joke?” Jane said, her nose scrunched up in confusion. 

“Yeah, you know, the whole ‘we all know Stiles gets energy from his orgasms so we’re all going to try and sleep with him so we can be constantly powered up’ thing, he told me about the time he found you all waiting outside his room when he’d just given himself a boost.” Erica said but Jane just looked even more confused by that comment. 

“Okay, yeah, I’ll admit we all used to wait outside his room from time to time in the hopes of a bit of a boost, but, can you blame us? I mean, you’ve felt it, right? The rush you get from it? I’d come back from an assignment, feeling exhausted, and, if I timed it right, I’d be ready to get back to it within five minutes of getting there all because of him. So, yeah, that happened. Then Stiles found out and he refused to give himself any more boosts until he’d graduated and got the hell out of there. So, yeah, I admit to that, but, sleeping with him just to get energy from his orgasms!? That’s ridiculous!” 

“So what then!? You all just constantly made jokes about getting him into bed because you wanted to make fun of him for the fact that he wouldn’t do anything like that around any of you?” Erica asked in annoyance. 

“Wait, Stiles told you that? That we were doing it to make fun of him?” Jane asked and Erica nodded.

“Of course he did! Why the hell else would you do…” She trailed off, a look of dawning realisation on her face, “You were all actually trying to sleep with him. Of course you were. There was no joke. It wasn’t some messed up boost thing. You just wanted to have sex with him.” Jane shrugged in reply. 

“I mean, don’t you? He’s attractive, he’s powerful, the energy boost would just be a great extra, I bet the sex would be mind-blowing, but, he wasn’t ever interested, in any of us, no matter who tried, I thought he realised that pretty much the entire council was trying to sleep with him, I just figured he wasn’t interested because he was, well, I kind of got the idea that there was someone else, but, I don’t know, I never met them, I just, Stiles seemed kind of like, well, like he wouldn’t open up to anyone romantically.” She said uncertainly, “But, god, I had no idea he thought we were all making fun of him, okay, yeah, we did have like a bit of a bet going over who could have sex with him, but, that was just a bit of a laugh, a way of winding each other up whenever Stiles shot one of us down, it wasn’t like, it wasn’t serious, but, god, I’m so sorry. I never thought, I thought he knew, that he just didn’t want to have sex with any of us, not that he thought we were all taking the piss out of him.” 

“Yeah, well, Stiles is an oblivious idiot.” Noah said, not exactly comfortable discussing his son’s sex life, but, he could see Jane was genuinely distressed at the thought of Stiles thinking they had all been laughing at him.

“Obviously.” Erica agreed. 

“So, wait, you didn’t sleep with Stiles? I mean, you tried, and he said no? To you? And to everyone else?” Derek queried and Erica rolled her eyes. 

“Really!? That’s what you want to discuss right now?” She said and Derek flushed in embarrassment. 

“I just, I mean, she said about them having a ‘sensational night’ together?” 

“Yeah, I’d never encountered a dragon before, it was amazing, sharing the bed with Stiles afterwards was just an added bonus.” Jane shrugged. 

“But, you said he called you Sarah all night? And Stiles said it was after Tom and before Rita and Simon!?”

“False names in case anyone tried to track us to the hotel we were staying in. And, Tom, Rita and Simon all worked cases with Stiles at one point or another.” Jane explained easily. 

“But, that Dan guy said about Stiles enjoying orgies!?” Derek asked in confusion and Jane laughed. 

“Oh yeah, I heard about that, Stiles thought he’d got the guy that was responsible for mass disappearances, went with him, hoping to find some of his victims still alive, instead turns out the guy hosted sex parties, like, full on orgies, from the sounds of things Stiles walked in on literally like fifty people having sex in the middle of this guy’s living room.” Jane explained while Erica shook her head fondly at the memory. 

“He told me that he just turned around and walked straight out of there.” Erica said. 

“From what Dan said he practically sprinted.” Jane chuckled. “Of course, he found the right person eventually, but, that story was totally worth the mistake.” 

“So, he, um, he wasn’t having sex with Theo, and he didn’t have sex with you, and he isn’t into orgies?” Derek asked for clarification. 

“Derek, seriously, concentrate, we have people to go rescue.” Peter sighed and Derek flushed. 

“Right, sorry.” Derek nodded. 

“Why are you so bothered? Do you want to have sex with him too?” Jane asked and Erica laughed. 

“Jane, meet Derek, the only person who’s already had that particular pleasure.” Erica said and Jane looked at Derek for a minute before her eyes travelled to the sleeping Stiles and back again. 

“Guess I never really stood a chance then.” Jane muttered quietly and everyone laughed in reply, any tension from the room beginning to disperse.

“When you say ‘only person’?” Derek asked and Erica sighed impatiently. 

“I mean, as far as I know, and believe me I know a lot, and not that it’s any of your business, but, you are the only person Stiles has slept with, mainly because you fucked things up enough after the event that Stiles would believe everyone was making a fucking joke out of his powers before he could even consider the idea that someone would want to sleep with him, so, how about we move on from this subject before I remember exactly how pissed off I am at you for hurting him so much?” Erica replied snappily and Derek nodded, not sure how he felt. On the one hand, his wolf was incredibly happy that Stiles hadn’t slept with anyone else, that their mate had only had that pleasure from them, but, on the other hand, shame and guilt overwhelmed that feeling. Erica was right, Stiles believed that everyone was making fun of him as oppose to believing that they found him attractive, and that was because of Derek, because he hadn’t just pushed Stiles away, he’d hurt him, he’d destroyed something inside him. He had to apologise to Stiles, he had to make this right somehow, no matter how long it took. 

“Can we get back to the fact that you tried to have sex with Stiles when he was practically unconscious? That doesn’t sound like misreading a situation. That sounds like attempted rape.” Melissa said with gritted teeth. 

“No, no, it wasn’t like that, I mean, I just, I woke up, and Stiles was in the bed with me, pressed up against me, and, I thought, well, I thought we’d had a moment, and, I also thought he was kind of shy and didn’t want to make the first move, so, I wanted to make my intentions clear, and, I did, but, as soon as I realised Stiles wasn’t interested, which was the instant he woke up and shoved me off him, I backed off, I mean, I was so embarrassed, I thought he’d be interested, but he wasn’t, and then he made a really crappy joke about better ways to gain energy and I just figured he was trying to clear the air, you know, let me know there were no hard feelings, I had no idea he thought I’d done it to actually get energy from him.” Jane explained earnestly. 

“Mica said he wasn’t bothered, just fed up with the joke, it was getting to be a pain in the ass, he really didn’t want to wake up and find himself surrounded by sweaty naked people trying to give him an orgasm.” Erica shrugged. 

“That doesn’t excuse what she did.” Allison said heatedly. 

“No. It doesn’t. But, if Stiles was willing to forgive and forget, then, it’s not really fair for us to cause issues, is it? I mean, he’s the one that had to deal with it, and, if he can forgive her, do we really want to make things harder for him by holding a grudge?” 

“Stiles doesn’t know what’s best for him! He shouldn’t be friends with someone who assaulted him!” Isaac replied. 

“Yeah, look what happened last time someone thought they knew what was best for him!?” Erica said and Derek flushed, “Look, all I’m saying is, Stiles is capable of making his own decisions, do I think we should just gut her and leave her to bleed out, yes of course I do, but, would Stiles be upset by her dying, yes he would, and do I want to cause Stiles any upset? No. So she lives. Or would any of you prefer for Stiles to be upset?” The pack all glared at Jane for a moment before they finally relented and Derek squared his shoulders, clearing his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, okay, Noah, could you, Melissa and Peter stay with Stiles? The rest of us will go to the bunker and rescue any prisoners. Jane, we’ll need you to come with us, to make sure that they know they can trust us. Everyone happy with that?” Derek looked to Peter who nodded reassuringly. 

“Yeah, we’ll look after him.” Peter agreed, “I mean, personally, I’d feel better if we waited until Stiles woke up and came with us to rescue the possible prisoners, but, if you’re not willing to wait, what about kissing him? I mean, that replenished his magic previously?” Peter suggested. 

“I don’t know,” Derek began uncertainly, “I mean, he said he was just tired, that he was fine, I don’t want him to feel like I’m forcing myself on him, I just, if it’s just exhaustion, he should rest, he needs it, he doesn’t need to be waking up and running off to maybe fight more members of the council, he needs to rest properly.”

“Stiles doesn’t sleep like a normal person though, I mean, not unless he’s changed since graduating, but, back at the council house, he wouldn’t sleep more than a couple of hours, one of the other members told me he heard him screaming some nights, but, when somebody tried to talk to Stiles about his nightmares, well, he put them on their ass and nobody mentioned it since, although, Stiles started living off caffeine and energy boosts, but, then he found out about us all getting a hit from them and, well, he went back to sleeping a few hours a night, but, not properly, not really. He never does. He’s had nearly an hour already, chances are he’ll be raring to go if we wake him now.” Jane explained and Derek gritted his teeth at that, he hated that Stiles had nightmares, he guessed he should properly be grateful that Stiles had at least told him what they were about, even if that conversation hadn’t ended very well. But, still, the knowledge that it had been going on for years, that Stiles hadn’t spoken to anybody properly about it, that he survived on minimal sleep, it bothered Derek massively. 

“Stop being so noble, just freaking kiss him, Stiles will probably be more annoyed if we go and possibly fight casters without him around to help. Besides, if you don’t do it, I will.” Cora said and Derek growled quietly at her, his jealously flaring for a second because he really didn’t like seeing his entire pack kissing his mate, but, he fought his wolf into submission, Stiles wasn’t theirs and that was Derek’s fault. The pack were helping Stiles, he wasn’t jealous, he was grateful, but, still, if there was the option for him to help Stiles first, well, he was willing to give it a go. 

He moved closer to the bed, taking a steadying breath, he was nervous, nervous that it wouldn’t work, nervous that it would, scared Stiles would be annoyed at him, or that he’d feel like Derek was taking advantage of him, he swallowed which felt too loud in the quiet room before he leaned forward and kissed Stiles. Almost immediately the golden mist appeared around them and Derek stared at it in awe, his lips still pressed gently against Stiles’, his fingers moved to trace it and he blinked in surprise when it felt like the mist clung to him lovingly, he didn’t understand it, he didn’t know what it was but he knew it wasn’t dangerous, that it was Stiles’ magic doing something to him, to both of them. He felt Stiles’ lips part slightly beneath his own and a second later his eyes opened, glowing a soft gold, he blinked twice, his eyes going wide as he realised Derek was kissing him, Derek pulled away abruptly, breaking the contact and the mist disappeared instantly. 

“You have got to tell us what that is about.” Scott said and Stiles glanced at him, wincing slightly as he sat up in the bed, rubbing at his eyes before he swung his legs sideways and stood up. 

“When I figure it out I’ll let you know.” Stiles replied casually. 

“It doesn’t do it with any of us? And, it didn’t do it with Derek before, you know, before you brought him back…”

“I didn’t bring him back. It wasn’t like I was listening to his heartbeat. He probably just passed out or whatever.” Stiles dismissed. 

“You brought him back from the dead?” Jane said and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“No, of course not. He just looked dead.” 

“But, you’ve never really mastered healing people?” 

“Yeah, tell me about it. But, somehow, I did, and since then, if we kiss, we both get some kind of power boost, which is great, because, you know, extra power, yey, but, also, glowing gold light isn’t exactly discreet.” Stiles shrugged. “Anyway, if we’re going to talk about things that haven’t happened before, when did you all learn to shift completely? I mean, obviously Derek could before, but, you all bursting into the clearing as actual wolves was pretty awesome. So, when did that happen?” 

“I don’t know.” Erica answered honestly, “We were waiting in the woods, waiting for Derek to tell us it was time because he was the only one that could hear what was happening, then Derek shifted and he ran to get to you, and, I don’t know, it was like, it was like my wolf was there, ready to take charge, just, waiting for me to let it. I felt it so clearly, and, even when I shifted, I still had complete control, and, even now, right this second, I can feel it sat there, it’s happy, I could shift at any point, I know I could, and I’d have complete control, but I have no idea how it happened, I mean, I’ve tried to shift before, after the first time Derek did it, but, I’ve never even gotten close, but, today, it was just, all that mattered was getting to you, standing by your side, it was, I guess, it felt…natural, like it was the most natural thing in the world.” The rest of the pack nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah, exactly, Erica’s right, it was just natural.” Scott nodded and Stiles shrugged, pursing his lips in thought slightly. 

“I mean, obviously I don’t have any first-hand experience, so I can’t say for definite, but, from what I’ve heard, that’s kind of how it’s supposed to feel, like, inner peace, you and your wolf side-by-side, coexisting peacefully together, not fighting for control all the time, just, it’s there, and you know it’s there, and you can just, relax. I mean, there’s still going to be times where it goes against you on things, because it knows better than you, but, you learning to listen to it is a good sign, it helps the shift, but, it’s so weird that all of you mastered it at once, I don’t really know why that happened, or how it happened, but, yeah, seems like you’ve got it all figured out.” Stiles replied. 

“Well, can one of you teach me? I’ve been dying to learn how to do my full shift.” Jane pouted and Stiles grinned. 

“You mean you’ve finally realised it has nothing to do with me?” He teased and Jane rolled her eyes. 

“Maybe it does, I mean, you are part of their pack, maybe you did something to them, and, obviously your magic does somethings that you don’t know, like bringing Derek back from the dead and that weird mist light thing, how do you know it doesn’t help the shift?” Jane argued. 

“She’s got a point.” Peter commented and Stiles rolled his eyes in exasperation. 

“I didn’t bring him back from the dead and I can’t help people with the shift. My magic has nothing to do with it. You guys are the one that get control, it’s nothing to do with me.” Stiles replied before he scrubbed a hand over his eyes, “Look, this is getting us nowhere, I need to get to the bunker and check that everyone is okay, so, are you guys coming with me? Or am I going alone?” 

“Do you feel up to it? I mean, you pretty much fell asleep where you stood just over an hour ago, and before that you got blasted backwards by an exploding caster and before that you got a knife through the chest and were dying, and before that you’d only really just woken up from a nearly 2 week coma, which you were in because you brought Derek back from the dead or nearly dead, and before that you had being kidnapped and were getting tortured, so, you know, we’d understand if you decided to take it easy instead.” Erica said and Stiles shook his head fondly.

“You make it sound so dramatic.”

“That’s because it was dramatic.”

“I’m fine Rica. Ready to go and beat the crap out of anyone standing in my way.” 

“From one kiss? Really?” She asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“Yeah, well, obviously, whatever is going on with my magic and Derek’s alphaness thing is something we need to figure out at some point in the future, but, it’s not a priority right this second, right now we need to focus on rescuing anyone trapped in that bunker.” Stiles replied. 

“Fine, get showered and cleaned up and we’ll go.” Noah sighed heavily and Stiles nodded, disappearing into the bathroom and reappearing less than five minutes later, no longer covered in mud and dirt, instead he was wearing fresh clothes, he still looked tired, pale, like he needed more sleep, but there was a fierce determination in his eyes and Derek knew that no matter what he said Stiles would not be swayed from his path, he was going to the bunker no matter what anyone said. 

“Alright, we go to the bunker, we get anyone out who is there, we kill anyone who is holding them prisoner, and then we come back here and you get some more sleep, agreed?” Derek said. 

“Fine.” Stiles nodded and Derek paused, he looked at Stiles incredulously. 

“You’re not going to argue with me?” 

“Derek, even you have to have a good idea once every three years.” Stiles replied mildly and Noah snorted with amusement before he schooled his features back into something more neutral and shot Derek an apologetic look, Stiles sighed and rolled his eyes, “Look, Derek, believe it or not, I don’t enjoy arguing with you, and I also have some common sense every once in a while, I’m tired and I want to go to sleep, what’s the point in arguing with you when I actually agree with you?” 

“Um…” Derek paused, trying not to think about how wonderful he found it when Stiles actually showed some sense of self-preservation, “I, um, yeah, okay.” 

“Great. Let’s get going then.” Stiles said, shoving a knife in the waistband of his jeans and heading downstairs. Derek found himself following after Stiles without a seconds hesitation, he realised that he would follow Stiles anywhere, for any reason, just because it was Stiles, he knew Stiles would never lead them into danger unnecessarily, he knew Stiles would never want them to get hurt because of him, he knew Stiles would always have their backs, and Derek, well, he wanted Stiles to know that the same applied to him, Derek would always have his back, even if Stiles never forgave him, even if he moved on and found someone else and spent the rest of his life being happily married to someone else, Derek would still have his back, because he loved Stiles, yeah, okay, he found him attractive, that wasn’t up for debate, but, even if Stiles rejected him, told him there was no chance of anything romantic between them, he would still be there for Stiles because he wanted him happy, he wanted Stiles to know that he could always come to Derek with any kind of problem, that Derek would always listen to him, and never, ever, push him away again.


	17. Chapter 17

Thankfully the bunker was not a big, drama-filled showdown, Derek was certain none of the pack or anybody else could handle any more drama. There were no guards left there, when they arrived Stiles enhanced his senses enough that he could locate several heartbeats in the same room that they had been locked in, they walked down the hall, past the spot where the shadows of Richard, Jake and their followers still covered the walls, past the cupboard that Stiles and Derek had hidden in however briefly, all the way to the end of the hallway. 

Stiles opened the door and eight faces turned to look at him, their eyes wide with fear for a moment before they recognised him and they relaxed instantly. Derek took in the cuffs on their wrists, knowing it meant the information was out there now and there was no way to stop it, he wished he could have predicted what the council had been going to do, to stop Stiles from ever sending them the design. The captives were bound and gagged, sitting in chairs similar to the one that Derek and Stiles had been bound to, although, for some reason, they had been tied back-to-back which Derek wasn’t sure if he wanted to be angry at or not, on the one hand, it would have been a lot easier if he hadn’t had Stiles sat on his lap, but, on the other hand, they never would have escaped if they hadn’t been tied the way they were. The mirror that they’d smashed to escape had been replaced with a wooden board, blocking the entrance to the other room but Derek had no doubt that if the casters had been freed of the cuffs then they could have taken it down without too much effort. 

Stiles moved forward, undoing the cuffs on their wrists easily as Jane and the pack helped cut away the wolfsbane ropes that held them in place showing clearly that not every one of them was a caster regardless of how they were handcuffed, as soon as everyone was free they hugged Stiles and Jane, thanking them profusely, commiserating on their losses, before, finally they turned to address the Hale pack. 

“Alpha Hale.” One man said in greeting, he was older than the others, mid-forties at least, he looked weathered by age and a hard life, he stretched out a hand in greeting, even as the other rested on Stiles’ shoulder. 

“Hello.” Derek replied stiltedly, not sure who this man was or why he knew Derek. 

“Sorry, Derek, this is John, he’s the guy I spoke to about the Medusa hunt?” 

“Right, yeah, sure.” Derek said, recognising the name, “Pleasure to meet you.” 

“Pleasure is all mine, thanks for coming with him to get us, we appreciate the help.” John said. 

“Stiles was coming regardless, we just decided to tag along to see if we could attempt to keep him out of trouble.” Derek smiled and Stiles grinned at him.

“How’d that work out for you?”

“On this particular occasion, okay. Usually, not so much.” Derek joked and John laughed, pulling Stiles fondly into his side. 

“Tell me about it, right like trouble magnet this one is.” 

“Not all the time.” Stiles pouted and John laughed again. 

“Oh please, I’ve seen you in action remember? Any trouble in a fifty-mile radius will find you sooner or later.” John said before turning serious eyes in Derek’s direction, “You’re aware of that, aren’t you?” 

“Yes sir.” Derek said, wincing internally because for some reason John reminded him of Noah and he was just so used to replying instantly that he didn’t even realise he’d called John ‘sir’ until Stiles grinned at him in amusement while John smiled happily. 

“Your family taught you good manners, that’s a good thing.” John said and Derek shrugged, “But, tell me, seriously, you’re aware that Stiles here is a trouble magnet? That if you’re planning on letting him stay in your territory, you’re aware that the chances of something bad coming at him and maybe getting your pack instead are greatly increased?” 

“John!” Stiles scolded. 

“What!? I’m just looking out for you kid. If you’re planning on settling here, I want to make sure the resident Alpha isn’t going to decide to kick you to the curb the moment things get tough, I’d rather you came with us, set up a new council, one that focuses on truly helping people, rather than trying to kill them off the moment they become too big of a threat. You’d be a great leader to us, and, I know we’re all wanting you to come with us, start afresh, get out of this hellhole.” 

“Not a chance.” Derek said firmly, “Stiles is part of my pack and anything that comes at him, is going to face the full force of my pack, none of us will let anything happen to him if we can help it, the same way he won’t allow anything to happen to any of us if he can help it. He’s ours and he’s staying with us.” He paused, “If that’s what he wants.” He added uncertainly, as determined as he was to have Stiles stay with them, he wasn’t going to do it against Stiles’ will. 

“I’m staying.” Stiles replied easily, “Thanks for looking out for me and everything, but, I’m home, with my family, my pack. I want to stay with them. And, I really, really, don’t want to be the next council leader.” He smiled gently, “Thanks for the offer and everything, and I’m happy to help you guys out whenever and wherever I can, but, I’m done with the council, and I’m not any kind of leader, not really.” 

“That’s not true.” Derek interrupted and Stiles looked at him in surprise, “You lead by example Stiles, you show us all how to be the best version of ourselves, standing up for what is right, never backing down, thinking things through, coming up with a plan B, protecting our pack, protecting our friends, you might not think you’re a leader, but you are. I don’t know if you should take the job or not, I don’t know how it would all work, or whatever, but, don’t doubt the fact that you are a natural leader.” 

“He speaks the truth, finally!” Erica crowed, breaking the stunned silence that filled the room and Stiles snorted with laughter, Derek flushed slightly, embarrassed by his speech, he hadn’t planned to say any of that, but, he hated when Stiles put himself down, when he didn’t see his value. 

“Thanks Der.” Stiles muttered sounding slightly flawed by Derek’s words and Derek nodded at him before looking around the room.

“Anybody else want to get the hell out of this godforsaken hellhole?” He asked and Stiles shoved his hand in the air, as did the rest of the pack and the council members. 

Within minutes they were all back at ground level, out in the fresh air, Stiles’ eyes scanned the perimeter, keeping an eye out for any potential threats before deciding it was safe and he relaxed slightly. 

“Sure you don’t want to come with us?” John asked and Stiles smiled fondly before shaking his head. 

“Nah, I’m good here man.” Stiles replied, “But, you know you can always call me if you need me. I’ll be there whenever you want.” 

“I know Stiles.” John said before pulling Stiles into a hug, Stiles looked slightly startled by the sudden contact, thankfully John broke the hug only a moment later and Stiles clapped him on the shoulder, saying his goodbyes to the rest of the remaining council members before turning to Jane. 

“So, you’re off too?” Stiles asked easily. 

“Yeah, Sandra and James have said I can stick with them for a while, we’ll look out for each other, so don’t worry.” Jane paused, glancing at the pack before she touched Stiles’ shoulder gently and steered him away from the pack, out of their hearing, “Stiles, Erica said something earlier, and, well, it made me realise that maybe I didn’t explain myself clearly before.” 

“What?” Stiles asked in confusion. 

“Stiles, you should be aware, because I didn’t realise that you thought, well, I wasn’t trying to sleep with you to get a boost of energy from you, and I don’t flirt with you to make a joke out of that or anything. I do it because you’re attractive and I like you.” She said bluntly and Stiles gaped at her in shock. 

“Um, well, erm, thanks?” Stiles answered uncertainly, still not sure if this was part of the joke. 

“Erica told me that you think we were all in on some long standing joke, that you thought we were laughing at your abilities. And I just wanted to clear things up, okay, yes we did have a bit of a betting pool over who could sleep with you first, but, that was just a bit of a banter, none of us took it seriously, we just, you’re hot, so, you know, I think you’re hot, and, I’d happily have sex with you with or without extra energy, if you’re ever interested?” Jane said and Stiles blushed brightly.

“Um, that’s, um, thanks for the offer.” Stiles stammered. 

“You want to take me up on it?” She grinned almost ferally and Stiles shook his head. 

“No thanks, erm, it’s very, um, nice of you, but, no.” 

“Well, the offer is always there if you change your mind.” She smiled and Stiles nodded, already moving back towards the pack. 

“Thanks.” Stiles replied. 

“Ready to go?” Sandra asked and Jane nodded, grinning again at Stiles, shaking hands with Derek, before turning and leaving with Sandra and James. The Hale pack gathered together slowly, making their way back to their vehicles, Stiles sat in silence the entire ride home, his mind churning over everything that had happened. 

John was right, Stiles being in Beacon Hills would no doubt bring more threats to their door, but, being home felt right, it was why he had decided to stay even when it had meant leaving Theo alone, he’d had to do what felt right to him and this still felt right, even if he was worried what the impact might be on the pack. 

Instead he turned his thoughts to what Jane had said, the idea that everyone had been trying to sleep with him, just because they found him attractive and not for the extra energy, it sounded so ridiculous it was almost beyond belief, except, it was true, apparently. He ran through it over and over in his head, trying to find any reason as to why Jane would have lied to him, he couldn’t think of any, but, he still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that every council member who had tried to have sex with him over the years were genuinely trying to have sex with him, it blew his mind. 

Eventually his thoughts turned to Derek, which wasn’t exactly surprising but still, what Derek had said, that he cared about Stiles, that he loved him, that he’d hurt him to try and keep him safe, that made sense too, an idiotic kind of sense that only Derek would come up with, but, Stiles could see that his heart had been in the right place. Could he forgive Derek for hurting him? Could he honestly trust him not to do anything so stupid again? Did he want to? He knew that he cared about Derek, that he found him attractive, that he enjoyed his company, that Derek made him laugh when he wasn’t even sure it was possible to, that he trusted Derek to make sure that nothing happened to his dad, but, to trust him with his heart again? 

Who was he kidding? Derek had had his heart for years and Stiles had never stopped loving him, he wasn’t sure he could, so, why not give him another chance? Stiles pursed his lips, the thought of giving Derek another chance made him feel sick with nerves, he still remembered the Alpha’s face that morning in the loft, still remembered the way it felt like a hole had been carved into his chest, how he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t sleep, how for months after it was all he saw when he closed his eyes, how his nightmares had only worsened, how he’d worked harder, pushed harder, trying to keep the nightmares away, just in an effort to prove to himself that he could do it, that he wasn’t a liability, that he was capable of being nearly as good as them, and the entire time it had been a lie, Derek had never considered him a liability, he had always thought him good enough.

“Mica? You with us?” Stiles startled, turning to look at Erica, she as standing next to him, the car door open, he didn’t even remember them arriving back at the house, except there it was, right in front of him, where he was going to be living for the foreseeable future, his home. 

“Sorry, yeah, just, lost in thought.” Stiles replied, climbing out of the car and making his way into the house, ignoring the looks he saw the pack all shooting in his direction. 

“Anything important?” Scott asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“Nothing that can’t wait until I’ve slept for the next week.” Stiles said, already starting up the stairs to his room. It was weird, he didn’t think he’d actually spent a night in his room since he’d officially moved in here, not by himself anyway, but, right now, he needed to be alone, he needed time to process everything that had happened, not just in the past few days, but, in the past few weeks and even months. Since his return to Beacon Hills, no, that wasn’t right, since the night Scott had first been bitten, it had been one thing after another and he really just needed time to think through what he wanted, what was best for him. 

Derek knew Stiles needed space and time, it was why he didn’t push for Stiles to join them in the pack room, even going as far as physically restraining Erica from going to get him, insisting that Stiles would join them when and if he wanted to, that it was more important to give him some space right now, Erica hadn’t been happy about it but eventually she’d agreed. Derek had fallen asleep at some point, waking only when he heard the racing beat of Stiles’ heart, he always woke up when Stiles’ heart raced like that, it meant he was having another nightmare, Derek wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but, he knew he had no right, Stiles would come to them if he wanted comfort. Derek listened silently as Stiles’ door cracked open and Stiles headed downstairs into the kitchen, Derek waited patiently but when, after twenty minutes, Stiles hadn’t returned to his bedroom, Derek decided he’d just head down and check on him. Stiles was sat at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in his hands, his eyes unfocused, obviously lost in his thoughts, his hair was sticking up in all directions and his shoulders slumped in tiredness, Derek cleared his throat and Stiles startled slightly, jerking upright and looking at Derek before he rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the coffee like it held all the answers of the universe. 

“Should have expected to see you here.” Stiles muttered, “There’s fresh coffee if you want it.” 

“Thanks.” Derek said, moving to the coffee pot and pouring himself a mug before settling into the seat opposite Stiles, “Want to talk about it?” He said a moment later and Stiles huffed out a laugh. 

“Not really.” He replied and took a swig of his coffee, “Do you have nightmares?” 

“What?” Derek asked in confusion. 

“You always seem to be awake in the middle of the night, and, I did think it was because you were really uncomfortable with me being around the pack when I wasn’t pack, but, obviously, now I know that’s not the case, that I am pack, so, I can’t figure out why you’re always awake in the middle of the night, I figured maybe you have nightmares, so, do you?” 

“No, I mean, sometimes I guess, yeah, but, that’s not why I’m awake.” Derek replied as casually as he could. 

“Want to talk about it?” Stiles smirked and Derek rolled his eyes. 

“Very funny.” He muttered before turning serious, “Actually, if you want complete honesty, it’s you, or, well, more specifically, your heartbeat. When I hear your heart racing, it wakes me up.” Derek admitted and Sties looked away from his coffee to meet Derek’s gaze. 

“Wait, so, um, my heartbeat wakes you up?” Stiles asked and Derek blushed, ducking from Stiles’ gaze to look at the table instead before nodding silently. “But you were in the pack room? And you heard my heart beat from there?” 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Derek admitted and Stiles nodded in confirmation. “Stiles, I, um, I know I’ve said it before, but, I should, it’s important that you know, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry for hurting you, and, what I said, I know that sometimes that day is in your nightmares, Theo told me, and if there’s anything I can do, to stop them, to reduce them, to make them go away, just,” He shook his head and gritted his teeth, “I wish, every day, since the moment I watched you walk out of the loft, that I hadn’t done it, I hated doing it, hated it, but, I didn’t know how else to keep you safe and I couldn’t lose you.” 

“But you did.” Stiles muttered, “You pushed me away to try and protect me and it meant you lost me anyway.” 

“I thought it was the best way to keep you safe.” Derek replied and Sties laughed darkly. 

“Yeah that worked so well.” Stiles said and Derek winced. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“So you’ve said.” Stiles paused before sighing heavily, “That wasn’t fair, I’m sorry, I mean, I didn’t join the council because of you, because of what happened, they’d already contacted me, offered me a place, I was going to go, I just didn’t know when. All you did was give me the push I needed, a reason to leave.” 

“I didn’t want you to leave…”

“Yeah, I guess I know that now, but, at the time, I believed you, believed what you said, that I wasn’t pack, that I wasn’t welcome, and I just couldn’t stay here, not so close to you guys, not after everything I’d done, I had to get out of town, and, the council, well, they gave me somewhere to go, and they taught me a lot of stuff, I know, there’s a lot of stuff they’ve done since that was wrong, but, they did a lot of good too, they helped me learn a lot, and I’m grateful to them for that.” He paused again, taking a steadying breath, “I, I still care about you.” He admitted and Derek looked at him with wide eyes. 

“I, Stiles, that’s…” 

“No, wait, just, let me explain, I think, back then, before, I’d been falling in love with you for a long time and then well, everything happened, and I left, and I went to the council and I tried, I tried so freaking hard to forget about you, to forget about everything that I’d thought we’d had, and, then I came back here, and I planned on it being for a few days, on seeing you to tell you we were in the territory visiting dad and that we’d be gone again before you knew it, and obviously things didn’t pan out like that, and, god, then I found out that you had lied to me and, Jesus, Derek you have no idea how angry I was, like, no idea at all. Because everything I went through, all that hurt, all that rejection and self-hatred and guilt and feeling like I was nothing, that I was never good enough, it was all because of a lie, your lie, and I was so angry at you for making me feel like that. But, then you nearly died and I thought I was going to lose you and I realised that I couldn’t, that I couldn’t lose you, because no matter what you’d done, I still cared about you, hell, I still loved you.”

“I love you too.” Derek said hopefully but Stiles held up a finger telling him to wait. 

“The big thing, the thing that’s really messing with my head, is can I trust you? Can I trust you not to do something so stupid again? Because, I don’t, I can’t go through that again, if I give you another chance, IF, I have to know that you won’t ever think that you know what’s best for me, that you won’t push me away to keep me safe, that you won’t wake up one morning and decide that you think it’ll be safer for me to think that you hate me, safer for me to be away from you and the pack.” 

“Well, we both know that wouldn’t be sensible, you’re a trouble magnet, there’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight.” Derek said and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Like I need you to protect me.” Stiles snorted. 

“I don’t want to keep you around to protect you, you can do it yourself without issue, I’d keep you around because I want you around Stiles. I want to see you laugh, I want to make you breakfast, I want to be part of the reason you smile each day, I want to be there for all the little things that I haven’t got to be a part of for the past three years because I missed it, because of what I did.” 

“Derek…”

“No, it’s my turn to talk, okay? You said, you said that you need to be able to trust that I won’t hurt you again, to even consider giving me another chance, you have to trust that I won’t do anything so stupid again, so, I want you to enhance your senses, listen to my heartbeat,” He paused and Stiles shook his head in amusement before doing just that, his eyes glowing gold softly, “Stiles, the biggest regret I ever have in my life is letting you walk out of that door and that includes everything that happened with Kate. She killed my family, using information I’d given her, and I blamed myself for so long, but, honestly, I was innocent, I never planned with her, I never wanted her to hurt my family, I had no idea that she was going to do that. But, you, I knew that I was hurting you, I knew that what I was saying was hurting you and I still chose to do it because I thought it was the right thing. Every single day since then I’ve told myself at least a hundred times that it was the right thing to do, tried so hard to convince myself that it was, but, I knew it wasn’t. I knew it the second I did it that it wasn’t the right thing, that if I had you by my side, everything would be fine, but, I was too stubborn to admit I was wrong, too sure that you would have a better life without me in it. But, Stiles, I swear to you, with every fibre of my being, that I will never do anything like that again, I’ll never make decisions for you, I‘ll argue with you about your decisions, probably a lot, but, I’ll never make a decision for you again.” Derek said, hoped with everything he had that Stiles would believe him, before, eventually, Stiles nodded. 

“Okay.” 

“Okay? Like, you believe me?” Derek said hopefully. 

“Okay, like, if you still want, I’m not going to say no to a date.” Stiles replied nervously and Derek felt the biggest grin break out on his face and Stiles blushed brightly, “But, just be aware, it’s recently been brought to my attention that apparently I have plenty of other options, so, if you screw up again, and by that I mean doing something as stupid as thinking you know best without consulting me, not just usual screw ups because let’s just admit, that’s probably going to happen from both of us, but, if you mess up again, I will go to one of those other options and make sure that I use them to forget all about you, understood?” 

“Yes, yes, definitely, yes.” Derek nodded excitedly, unable to believe that Stiles was willing to give him another chance. 

“And, it’s going to take me time, it’s not like I can just forget what happened, so, it’ll take time, you know that?” 

“Yeah, of course I do, I just, thank you, thank you for giving me another chance, to let me prove to you that I won’t do anything so idiotic again, I swear I won’t, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you.” 

“Woah, I said a date, not marriage and little werewolf kids running around, we’re going to take this slow, and, I, um, I’m not, I’d like to see how this goes before we go announcing it to the world, I mean, I get we can’t hide it from the pack and whatever, because, scents and stuff, but, you know, what if we go on one date and it’s shit and you hate me or I hate you or whatever, I just, I don’t want to make a big deal out of this until we know for definite that it’s what we both want.” Stiles said quietly and Derek nodded, reaching out to rest his hand on top of Stiles’. 

“I already know what I want Stiles, I want to be with you, and I will never, ever hate you, nothing you could do could make me hate you. But, if you need time, if you need to make sure that I’m the right person for you, then, that’s okay too, no pressure, no rush, we’ll take it as slow as you like.” Derek agreed solemnly and Stiles looked a little teary eyed as he nodded. 

“Okay, that’s, um, that’s good then.” He agreed, looking a little nervous that he’d agreed to do this, Derek leaned backwards, not wanting to pressure Stiles, instead picking up his coffee and sipping at it quietly. “I used to wake up screaming.” Stiles blurted out and Derek stilled, the cup still half-raised to his lips, “With my, with my nightmares, I used to scream myself awake. Once I knew how, I’d cast a soundproofing spell on the room, it meant nobody else could hear me. When I first started doing assignments, travelling around and whatever, the council paid for two rooms as standard, make sure that we got some space alone if we needed it, and then, well, then there was the witch who cursed you, and, I may have collapsed by the time I’d finished with her, and Theo found me which was lucky I guess, and, well, he wouldn’t let me sleep on my own, it took a lot, I lost a few days, just in and out of sleep while I tried to recover. And, when I was better, he kept insisting it would be easier to share a room, sleep in the same bed, in case anything attacked at night and so on, and I agreed.” Stiles paused, as if confessing it was hard for him, “The first few times I woke up screaming he was okay about it, he told me it was okay, tried to reassure me, calm me down, except, within a week he was fed up, he told me that it was annoying and frustrating and disturbing his sleep, so, I spent the next few days just trying to come up with some kind of magic that would stop me from screaming, that would wake me up before it got that far, and, eventually I figured it out, and it’s been active ever since.” Derek was speechless, he didn’t know what to say, what he wanted to do was bring Theo back from the dead so he could kill him all over again, but, he knew that wouldn’t help Stiles, no, he needed to support him through this somehow. 

“Stiles, he shouldn’t have said that…” Derek began and Stiles shrugged. 

“I’m just, I’m worried, I mean, you say that you love me, but, I can’t control my heart beat when I’m asleep, I don’t even know if it’s possible, and, if it disturbs you when I have a nightmare, I don’t want you to get annoyed when you never get a full night’s sleep because of me.” Stiles whispered. 

“They happen every night?” Derek asked and Stiles nodded glumly.

“Well, no, just every night that I’m asleep and not unconscious, if I’m unconscious it’s usually okay, and, some nights, if I’ve had a bad day, if I know the dreams will be bad, I just won’t sleep, but, yeah, otherwise, yeah.” Stiles admitted, “Does that mean, do you think you will get fed up? I mean, I want to give you fair warning, going in with your eyes open and everything, I don’t want you to think I’m perfect because I’m not, I mean, I’m messed up, seriously messed up, and, I want you to be aware of that.” 

“No, Stiles, no, of course I won’t get fed up, I’m just, I’m worried that you have that many nightmares, like, I know you’ve seen a lot, experienced a lot, and, there’s nothing wrong with having nightmares, it’s just, I don’t like the thought of you being that upset, and, I will never, ever, ask you to try and stop them with magic, god, that’s such a stupid idea, I just, I can’t believe Theo even suggested it, just, god, I’m so glad he’s dead.” 

“Me too.” Stiles chuckled quietly. 

“Stiles, I love you and nothing is going to change that, and, say we go on this date, and another date, and another and another, and you end up deciding that I’m not the right person for you, if it’s tomorrow or a year or ten years down the line, I will still love you and I will still care about you being happy.” He paused uncertainly, “Have you ever thought about therapy?” 

“A few times yeah, but, I figure when I start with the fact I got possessed by a demon that tried to kill the people I cared about most, most therapists would look at getting me sectioned, which wouldn’t really help me, probably just send me completely batshit crazy.” Stiles replied. 

“Maybe we could look into finding a therapist who knows about our world? I mean, I’m not pressuring you or anything like that, if you don’t want to, that’s fine too, but, I just, I don’t think trying to supress them with magic is healthy, that’s all.” Derek said gently and Stiles pursed his lips in thought. 

“I guess, maybe, maybe we could look into it, I mean, I don’t know how much it will help, it might not help at all, I just, I’m trying to prepare you here, because, the person you knew, that’s not me anymore, and I don’t want you to feel like I tricked you or something.” 

“You’re ridiculous.” Derek smiled and Stiles looked at him in surprise, “You’re still completely and utterly ridiculous. You might have grown up in your time away, you might have seen things that none of us could have ever imagined, but, you’re still the same person Stiles. You still put your dad’s safety above everything else, you still have a complete disregard for your own safety, you still rub the back of your neck when you’re nervous, and your eyes when you’re tired, you still can’t sit still for more than a few minutes, except when you’re really interested in something, then you can stay in the same position for hours, you still drink your coffee black because ‘no sugar will ever help with my caffeine addiction’, you still eat way too much junk food, like, seriously, I get you like pop tarts, but, god, the amount you eat is unreal, like, I have no idea how you stay in such good shape…”

“Magic burns off a lot of energy, kind of like being a werewolf, I use a lot of magic, I have to eat a lot and sleep a lot to get back to normal, plus, running for my life on a regular basis.” Stiles interrupted and Derek rolled his eyes. 

“Alright, fine, okay, that makes sense, but, still, so many pop tarts.” He said and Stiles laughed quietly, “The point I’m making is, you might have changed, but, the things that matter, the reasons I fell in love with you in the first place, they haven’t, you’re loyal, you’re brave, you’re sarcastic and stubborn, you see danger and run headfirst at it, which terrifies me, but, you can handle yourself, you always could, I mean, before you knew you had magic, you dealt with Scott getting bitten and Peter killing people and me being really unhelpful and kanimas and Darachs and kelpies and Alpha packs and the nogitsune, and, yeah, you were scared, so was I, we all were, but you refused to back down, you refused to leave us even when you weren’t nearly as durable as we were, it terrified me, the thought of you getting hurt, but, I trusted you, I knew you would always have my back, and, I know you still would, even when, Stiles, even when you thought I hated you, you still saved my life, even though it nearly cost you yours, you always put yourself last, like your safety is your last thought, which drives me insane, but, honestly, I wouldn’t change anything about you, because you might not see it yourself, but, to me, you are perfect.” 

“Wow, that was a bit of a speech.” Stiles replied quietly, a faint blush on his cheeks. 

“Yeah, well I meant every word, and, you’re giving me another chance so I’m going to make sure you know how incredible I think you are, every chance I get, although, I’d still tell you all that even if you weren’t giving me another shot at being with you, because you don’t see yourself clearly at all, and you need reminding that you are fantastic.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Stiles said, the scent of nervousness wafting from him, “I mean, you know I like you, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you out back then, but, I’m not, I don’t think I can do big declarations of feelings just yet.” He admitted, the fact that he was worried that Derek would reject him again and this was all some idiotic joke was probably better left unsaid, he could wait, see that Derek meant what he said, and then they could go from there.

“Fair enough.” Derek said with a smile on his lips, “So, where would you like to go for our date? And I don’t count going on some hunt for the creature of the week as a date, I’m going to wine you and dine you, so, it’s up to you.” He grinned and Stiles gaped at him for a moment before he caught himself and blushed. 

“Um, sorry, my brain just short-circuited for a minute.” Stiles muttered, “The ever-unattainable Derek Hale planning on wining and dining me, blows my mind.” 

“I’m not unattainable.” Derek laughed. 

“You clearly have no idea what half of the school thought about you then. I mean, you rock up in your camaro with a leather jacket, looking every inch the bad boy that their parents warned them about and you never gave anybody the time of day to even attempt to get close to you…”

“I talked to you.” 

“You yelled at me, and threatened me, a lot.” Stiles teased and Derek rolled his eyes, reaching out to interlace his fingers with Stiles’, happy when it felt like the most natural thing in the world. 

“That was my version of talking.” Derek replied a moment later when Stiles was still staring at their fingers like it was the most insane thing in the world.

“Well thank god you didn’t ‘talk’ to half the people in school then, they’d probably have had you arrested for threatening to kill them or, oh yeah, ripping their throats out with your teeth if they didn’t help you dig a bullet out of your arm.” Stiles laughed and Derek shook his head in amusement. 

“I said it once, you’re never going to let that drop, are you?” 

“Probably not.” Stiles shrugged, “Anyway, my point was that you’re so far out of my league, of course I thought you were always unattainable, I was pretty used to my feelings being unreciprocated, I just figured this was another one of those times, until, well, it wasn’t, except then it was just another way to blow off steam, and, now, now you’re telling me that you have similar feelings for me, which, is just, mind blowing, so, I’ll probably need a bit of time to adjust.” 

“Hang on, you honestly think I’m out of your league?” Derek asked incredulously, “Stiles, have you looked in a mirror lately? I mean, you’re gorgeous. How can you not see that?” Stiles shrugged again, blushing slightly at the complete look of astonishment on Derek’s face, “Do you not see it? The way every eye is on you pretty much the second you walk in anywhere? I mean, practically the entire pack has offered to have a threesome with you at one point or another, and apparently like ninety percent of the council hit on you at some point in time and you still don’t realise that you are completely and utterly stunning? Your eyes, god, your eyes are incredible and that’s even without magic, when you look at me I feel like my heart skips a beat, I could get lost in them, they are so fucking beautiful, and your hands, the way you’re always using them when you’re talking, it draws attention to them and I just want to touch them…”

“So you think I’m hot?” Stiles smirked and Derek blushed.

“Obviously. I’d have to be blind to not think that.” Derek admitted and Stiles grinned. 

“Right back at you.” Stiles remarked, “Okay, so, dates, where do I want the incredible hotness that is Derek Hale to take me to…” He teased and then laughed when Derek mock-growled at him, “Alright, chill out dude, hmm, we could go out for dinner maybe? The café I used to go to with dad before he started his night shifts makes the best tater tots and key lime pie, not together obviously, but, I don’t think I’ve tasted pie as good anywhere else and I’ve tried a lot of places.” 

“Okay, so you want tater tots and pie?” Derek smiled fondly and Stiles nodded, rubbing his stomach. 

“I could go for pie right now.”

“It’s four in the morning.” Derek laughed. 

“It’s never too early for pie.” Stiles said, getting out of his seat and heading to the fridge. “Damn.” He muttered a few minutes later when there was no pie in sight, “I really wanted pie.” 

“Come on then.” Derek said, shoving some shoes on and snatching up his wallet and keys. 

“Where are we going to get pie at four in the morning Der? Besides, you’re in just shorts, nowhere is going to serve you.” Stiles laughed, following after Derek regardless.

“I’m sure I’ve got a spare shirt in the car, I mean, it’s always handy to have spare clothes lying around when you turn into a wolf half the time.” He shrugged, rummaging in the back seat until he found a t-shirt and threw it on, jumping into the driver’s seat and heading out towards town. 

“Isn’t that one of my shirts?” Stiles asked a few moments later and Derek glanced down, realising his mistake and blushing slightly. 

“Yeah, I guess so, must have got muddled in with everyone’s clothes.” Derek said and Stiles leaned closer, enhancing his senses and sniffing slightly. 

“I can still pick up my scent.” He laughed and Derek pointedly focused on the road. 

“Well, that’s weird.” He said and Stiles laughed brightly. 

“How did I not know that you are literally the worst liar on the face of the planet!?” He laughed, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes before he managed to control himself, “If I’d have confronted you, told you that I didn’t believe you, that I knew you had feelings for me, I would have known straight away that you’d been lying.” He said and Derek sobered, feeling a weight in his chest. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“I know you are, and I forgive you. I’m just, still trying to process it all I guess, going through all the different scenarios, if I’d confronted you, if you’d told me you lied before I left, or after, or if I’d figured it out on my own, or if Rica had told me, but, I just, didn’t, and dwelling on it doesn’t change anything, besides, we’ve worked it out regardless.” He smiled, “So, where are we going for pie in the middle of the night with you wearing my clothes? It best be somewhere where they won’t talk about Deputy Hale leading me astray.” He teased and Derek chuckled in response, loving the way Stiles made him feel so happy with just a few simple sentences.

“If anyone is leading anyone astray it’s going to be you, I’m a very respectable officer of the law.” Derek replied. 

“And I’m a special agent with the highest security clearance, I’ll have you know that I’ve spoken to the president on several occasions and I’m the son of the local sheriff, I’m way more respectable than you.” Stiles retorted. 

“Seriously? The president of the United States knows about us?” Derek asked gobsmacked. 

“He knows about the supernatural, within reason, and he definitely knows nothing about any of you guys. I made sure of that.” 

“Alright, well, Mr Respectable, let’s get you pie.” Derek said pulling up outside the café that Stiles had mentioned. 

“I know you probably don’t want me to point out the obvious, but, it’s closed.” Stiles said and Derek shrugged, climbing out of the car and made his way around the back of the diner, finding the entrance to the kitchen and turning the lock, he wasn’t surprised to find it locked, “You’re not seriously going to break in for pie?” Stiles laughed, Derek glanced down. 

“Nope, no breaking.” He said, beginning to strip of his clothes and already calling to his wolf to take over, Stiles looked down and saw the doggy door and burst out laughing. 

“Dude, you’re not going to fit.” He said, panting for breath as he practically howled with laughter, leaning against the side of the building to keep himself upright. Derek shook his head slightly as he adjusted to his wolf, he took a few steps towards the doggy door, ignoring the laughter that was still emitting from Stiles at his side, he shoved his snout through the doggy door, getting his head and one paw through the door before his shoulders bumped into the sides of it, Stiles was right, he wasn’t going to fit, he wasn’t going to admit that though, he could fit, he knew he could, if he just, wiggled a little bit. He managed to get both front paws through the door and then dropped his shoulders, he was about half way through when he realised that he really couldn’t move any further, he heard Stiles practically gasping with laughter and the snap of his phone camera, Derek groaned, great, not only was he stuck in a doggy door trying to get pie for Stiles, the man now had photographic proof of it, he knew there was no way he could shift back to a human right now, he’d have to back out, he hoped that he could. 

Stiles managed to get control of himself long enough to take a few photos of Derek, he couldn’t wait to show them to Erica later, he figured he should probably take pity on the wolf so he moved forwards and pressed his fingers against the door, using magic to make the gap big enough for Derek to get all the way through, then unlocking the door with a click of his fingers and following Derek through into the kitchen, throwing his clothes to him as Derek shifted back. 

“You couldn’t have done that before I tried to fit through the door?” Derek asked as soon as he’d shifted back to human. 

“Like you gave me much chance.” Stiles snorted with amusement, already turning to the fridge and finding a complete pie just sat there waiting to be served. “Perfection.” He muttered, grabbing the pie from the fridge and looking around for a spoon. 

“Are you seriously planning on eating all that?” Derek asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“You can share with me if you like.” Stiles grinned, fishing through Derek’s wallet and leaving some money for the pie before heading back to the door, “You want to use the door with me or would you prefer if I leave you to get out of the doggy door again?” He joked and Derek mock growled at him as Stiles laughed and darted out of the door as Derek chased after him. 

They drove back to the house with matching grins on their faces, Stiles already tucking into the pie and passing Derek the odd spoonful whenever he had a chance, until they parked back in the clearing outside of the house, Stiles climbed out of the car before sitting up on the bonnet and motioning for Derek to join him, handing him one of the spoons as both of them tucked into the pie. 

“I like this time of day.” Stiles said quietly and Derek glanced up at him, waiting for further explanation, “It’s when I get most of my thinking done, it’s quiet, peaceful kind of, it’s probably my favourite time of day, before everyone wakes up, before all the weight of jobs and assignments and life and death comes crashing down around me. It’s a nice time of day, it makes me feel hopeful.” 

“Sometimes I wake up around this time, I listen to the sounds of the preserve around me, I know what you mean, everything is still asleep, it’s like the day hasn’t quite begun yet, like there’s a vacuum, just waiting for everything to begin for the day.” Derek agreed and Stiles smiled softly, leaning back against the windscreen and making himself comfortable. “You were right, it’s good pie.” 

“It’s the best pie.” Stiles smiled and Derek grinned, “I mean, not as good as those pictures, like, they’re going to be framed and mounted on the wall, but, it’s still damn good pie.” 

“Oh god, anything I can do to convince you to delete them?” Derek pleaded and Stiles pursed his lips in thought. 

“I don’t know,” He teased, “I mean, can you just imagine the look on the pack’s faces when I show them? It would have to be something pretty huge to get me to delete them. Hmm, maybe if you offer to go get me pie whenever I want it, even at four in the morning? Although, that would mean that I’d have to come help you when you get stuck again.” Stiles laughed and Derek grinned shaking his head in bemusement, god, he loved Stiles, loved getting to see this side of him again, although Stiles had never acted like he hated him, since his return home he had been more reserved around Derek, seeing this, seeing him laugh, seeing his eyes sparkling with mischief, it made Derek fall head over heels with him all over again. 

Derek shifted slightly, enough that their shoulders were pressed together as they leaned back on the windscreen, he reached down and wrapped his fingers in Stiles’, clutching tightly and then looked up at the sky where the sun was beginning to rise, he hadn’t realised they’d been talking for so long, he could lose track of time completely with Stiles. He risked a glance at Stiles who was staring at him in surprise and he smiled, he wasn’t sure he could stop smiling, he was just so happy, so freaking happy, he reached across, resting his fingers on Stiles’ jaw gently, hesitating for the briefest moment before he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to Stiles’. Stiles stilled in surprise, it was one thing Derek kissing him to give him energy, it was another thing entirely when he did it just for the sake of kissing him, he felt Derek’s lips against his own and it felt so right, like Derek’s lips were made for his, he kissed back, gently, uncertainly, as if he was adjusting to the feeling before pulling away a few moments later and looking at Derek nervously. 

“Well, um, that was unexpected.” Stiles said and Derek shrugged. 

“Not for me, I’ve been thinking about doing that since the second you came home, or, actually, since way before that, if I’m been completely honest, somewhere around the time you helped me kill Peter and I became Alpha.” Derek admitted and Stiles looked at him stunned before he shook his head as if to rid it of the thoughts he was having. 

“That long huh?” He tried to joke but it sounded strained and Derek didn’t miss the sudden tension in Stiles’ body. 

“What’s wrong? Did I upset you?” He asked suddenly worried he’d messed things up again. 

“No, no, of course not, I just, it’s hard to believe that you like me like that, back then and even now, I don’t think I’m able to think of anything other than this is some massive joke.”

“A joke? How?” Derek said in genuine confusion.

“I don’t know, that you want me to admit I like you and then laugh at me, or you’re doing it because you feel bad about hurting me back then, or you genuinely think you have feelings for me but as soon I say yes and we start getting serious you realise it’s not, I’m not, what you want, but you don’t know how to let me down gently, so you just stick it out because you’re so used to sacrificing your happiness to make sure other people are happy you wouldn’t even think twice about it.” Stiles rambled. 

“You’re ridiculous.” Derek said, shaking his head in amusement, “Just to clarify, none of those are true, if anyone is going to be the butt of a joke it’s going to be me, because you’re going to realise you can do a thousand times better than me. And I do feel bad about hurting you, but that’s not why I want to be with you, I just enjoy spending time with you, and, I know you are what I want Stiles, I’m certain that’s not going to change, but, if it does change, if I completely and utterly lose my mind and think for one second that you aren’t what I want, then I swear to you, I will tell you, I won’t stay with you out of some sense of duty, because you deserve to be happy, and being with someone who isn’t happy won’t make you happy in the long run.” 

“And this isn’t just some way to blow off some steam? Like, convince me that there’s more to it, but, actually you’re just after a fuck buddy? Because that makes a lot more sense than you wanting to be with me?” 

“Stop being an idiot. Why would I tell you that I want to spend my life with you just to get you into bed? You’re not stupid enough to fall for that and I’m not cruel enough to do it. I love you Stiles, and if you want to wait, if you want to keep this between us until you’re ready for everyone to know, then that’s okay with me. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“You’re probably going to have to do a lot of reassuring, because, my brain doesn’t necessarily work like a normal person.” Stiles said and Derek smiled, squeezing his hand. 

“I will, all the time, every five minutes if you like, you’ll get so sick of my reassurances you’ll be begging me to stop within the first day.” He said and Stiles laughed. 

“Okay, that sounds good.” Stiles agreed, sliding off the bonnet of the car and leading them into the kitchen, he was dying for a drink.

“You’re definitely okay? With me courting you?” 

“Did you honestly just use the word courting!?” Stiles snorted and Derek looked at him seriously. 

“I mean it,” He said, reaching out to touch Stiles’ hand even as Stiles laughed at him, “I’m serious Stiles, I’m going to court you, properly this time, you’re worried I’m going to use you for sex, we won’t have sex, not until you’re ready. In the meantime, I’m going to take you on dates wherever you want, and cook you dinner and take you out to movies and fancy restaurants and whatever else you want to do, because I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you happy.” Derek explained and Stiles flushed with embarrassment, he wasn’t used to such kind words.

“Well, just to ruin the mood, I think I need to go sleep some more, my brain is coming up with like a thousand different ways that you’re still trying to trick me or whatever, I need more sleep to actually get it to shut up, so, I’m going to head back to bed. Thanks for the pie.” He said, leaning in and pecking Derek on the cheek. 

“Any time.” Derek smiled, a wide grin on his lips, “And, um, yeah, go sleep, and if you still think like that when you wake up, come talk to me and I’ll reassure you that you’re being ridiculous.” He said and Stiles snorted before heading up the stairs to his room.

Stiles stayed in his room, enhancing his senses until he knew he was practically alone in the house, other than Jackson and Lydia who were still in bed and he wasn’t going to think about that, instead he put on his clothes, his boots and his leather jacket and then headed out into the preserve towards the council’s cottage.


	18. Chapter 18

He wasn’t sure what to expect, it was the council’s house and although there was nobody left that he was aware of, he didn’t want to just walk straight in there and into a trap, but, he’d been thinking, and, John had been right, he was a threat to the pack and if he was at the house all the time then he’d lead anything that was coming for him straight to the pack, it made sense that if he was going to carry on working, he did it from here. 

He observed the cottage for a good hour before he decided it was safe and approached, he couldn’t say he was surprised to find the cottage exactly the same as he’d left it, but, it was always better to be safe than sorry. He headed up to the office, trailing his fingers over the desk for a few moments, thinking of the last time he had stood in this room, barely recovering from the damage that the council members had done to his body, before he shrugged his shoulders, dismissing the dark turn his thoughts had taken and got to work. 

Derek arrived home from his shift just after nine in the evening, he was looking forward to spending more time with Stiles, to talking to him, maybe even kissing him again if Stiles was okay with that, he hadn’t been able to stop smiling to himself all day. He knew Noah suspected something had happened but Derek hadn’t said anything yet, he figured it was probably a conversation Stiles wanted to have with Noah, Derek was nervous about that, he knew Noah’s opinion of him had improved since they’d started working together, but, still, he was never certain if the man had ever forgiven him for what he’d done to Stiles. 

He was surprised to find that Stiles wasn’t in the house, at first he thought he was still in his room, but when he went and knocked there was no answer, when he asked the pack, Jackson said that Stiles had left the house around eight this morning and hadn’t come home since, Erica informed him that she hadn’t spoken to Stiles either, Derek didn’t want to panic, he was sure Stiles was fine, except his brain was already running through all the different scenarios, that Stiles had decided to go off on an assignment, or taken John up on his offer to lead them, or he’d been kidnapped, or was lying dead in a ditch somewhere, he didn’t want to panic but it didn’t stop him panicking regardless, his heart racing uncomfortably fast in his chest. 

“Dude, relax, Stiles can take care of himself.” Scott said and Derek nodded. 

“Hang on, I’ll call him.” Erica said, pulling out her phone and calling Stiles’ number. 

“’lo?” Stiles’ voice came over the phone, he sounded half-asleep and Derek relaxed instantly, if Stiles was sleeping he was sure everything was fine. 

“Where are you?” Erica asked without preamble and there was a pause before Stiles cursed quietly. 

“Didn’t realise the time, sorry, I’m on my way back now, be there in a few.” Stiles said, disconnecting the call, he scrubbed a hand across his face, wiping away any evidence of his sleep before he teleported back to the Hale house. “Honey I’m home.” He called as he landed in the kitchen, already searching for food, not really surprised when half the pack gathered in the kitchen doorway. 

“You okay?” Isaac asked and Stiles shrugged, eyeing up the bread in his hand hungrily, maybe he’d used more magic than he’d planned, but, damn it was worth it. 

“Peachy.” He replied, tearing a chunk out of the bread and shoving it into his mouth, raising an eyebrow at Scott when he realised he’d missed what had just been asked. 

“I said, you’re wobbling, you need energy.” Scott frowned. 

“I’m cool.” Stiles said dismissively before Derek rolled his eyes, marched forward, and pulled Stiles into a kiss. Immediately the mist around them appeared and Stiles felt his head clear, surprised by how foggy everything had felt, he must have used a hell of a lot more magic than he realised. “Why didn’t that appear this morning?” He muttered, his fingers still tracing where the mist had now vanished from. 

“I don’t know? You weren’t taking any energy?” Derek replied quietly, feeling his own energy levels boost from the kiss, “Do you feel better now?” He asked and Stiles nodded. 

“Yeah, sorry, I think I just used more than I thought I did.” Stiles said, stepping out of Derek’s arms and turning to look at the rest of the pack. “Sorry.” He repeated. 

“I’d kind of hoped I’d be the one getting to give you energy this time, I miss kissing you.” Cora said and Stiles blushed slightly when Derek growled at her, “Lighten up Derek, it’s not like we’re not all aware of the fact that Stiles is an awesome kisser, no wonder you don’t want to share.” She commented and Isaac nodded in agreement next to her while Stiles stared at her like she’d lost her mind. 

“So where’ve you been and what have you been doing?” Erica asked just as Stiles’ phone started ringing. 

“Hang on one sec,” He said, grimacing slightly when he saw the name on the screen, he’d kind of hoped to talk to the pack before this happened, “Hey John, how’re you doing?” 

“Not too bad kid, just wanted to call and say thanks for your help earlier, couldn’t have done it without you.” 

“It was nothing.” Stiles said dismissively. 

“For you probably. But, for me, saved my ass. Again. You going to be around for that kind of assistance all the time?” 

“I’ll try, I mean, there might be times when I’m not, but, I’ll do my best.” 

“Good enough for me, now, I know you said you didn’t want any payment, but, I figure, I’m getting paid for it, you did a good portion of the work, so, how about fifty-fifty?” 

“It’s fine, I don’t need any money, I got a load of the FBI for the Medusa case.”

“Don’t insult me Stiles, take the money.” 

“Fine, but ninety-ten. I really didn’t do much.” Stiles argued. 

“Bullshit. I’d be dead or at least out of action for the foreseeable without you.”

“Final offer John, take it or I hang up.” 

“And then I post you the fifty percent? That sounds fair.” 

“No. No. Don’t argue with me, ninety-ten or I won’t help you out in the future.” 

“Well we both know that’s bullshit, you’ll always help out if you can.” John joked. 

“Alright, fine, yeah, I’ll always help you out, but, still, ninety-ten is a fair price.” 

“Fine, ninety-ten it is, I’ll be telling the others that’s the price too, they want your help, they pay the price.” 

“Unless it’s pro bono work.” Stiles said forcefully. 

“Agreed, in which case, we work for free.” John replied. 

“Good, glad we could reach an agreement, you’ve got my details, pass them out.” Stiles said.

“Will do. That wasn’t the only reason I was calling, I just wanted to check in on how you’re doing, make sure you’re okay after what happened…” 

“I’m fine, nothing to worry about.” Stiles cut across him abruptly, “I’ve got to go John, keep out of trouble.” He said seriously before disconnecting the call and looking at the pack who had all gathered around now, staring at him in frustration. 

“You’re going to become their leader? The ones who are left?” Erica practically growled and Stiles squared his shoulders. 

“Not their leader per say, they’re just going to come to me for advice, and assistance on any cases they can’t handle themselves.” He explained. 

“Are you kidding me Mica!? You said you weren’t going to be part of this anymore! How long before they turn on you? Before they decide they want your power and they’re willing to kill you to get it?” Erica shouted. 

“You can’t honestly be planning on working with them!” Scott added, “What about everything they did!? Erica’s right, what if they try to kill you to get your power? You can’t trust them!” 

“Stiles is old enough to make his own decision…” Peter began and Erica snarled at him. 

“Not when they’re stupid ass decisions! That’s why he keeps me around, to tell him when he’s doing something stupid. Derek! Tell him he’s being an idiot!” 

“Stiles,” Derek began uncomfortably, “I think that you maybe haven’t thought this all the way through…” 

“Are you serious right now?” Stiles snapped at all of them and everyone fell silent, “First off, yeah, I’ve thought about them trying to kill me to get my power, but these people were willing to defy the council, leave jobs, homes and people behind to stick at my side, they fought against people they’d known for years just because they thought it was the right thing to do. And, if they aren’t the people I thought they were, I’ve been working on several spells, one that hides my presence from other casters and one that stops anyone from getting my magic so even if they try to steal it there’s no way they actually can, plus I’ve turned the cottage into a freaking panic room, there’s no chance of anybody finding me there, and, I’m pretty sure I’ve come up with a way to basically teleport into the cottage from wherever I am in the world so there’s no way I have to worry about getting trapped anywhere, so, yeah, I’ve thought it through. And, honestly, you want to talk about not thinking things through? Really? After all the stupid things you’ve ALL done because you don’t think them through?” Stiles snapped and Derek clenched his fists, knowing that arguing right now wasn’t going to help them, Stiles’ phone pinged with an incoming text and he looked at it before sighing in frustration, “I’ve got to go take care of this.” 

“Wait, hang on, like, go take care of it at the cottage? Or go take care of it wherever it is?” Lydia asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“I’m not sure, I’ll have to see how it develops.” He glanced at Derek, “Can I speak to you privately for a minute?” He said and the pack almost fled the room, knowing that if they waited for Derek to tell them to leave it would probably involve a lot of shouting, “I think it would be better if we didn’t go on a date.” 

“What?” Derek said, feeling like someone was standing on his chest, crushing it under their feet. 

“I’ve been thinking about it, and,” Stiles sighed heavily, looking pained, “I think too much has happened between us, I don’t think I can forget about everything and I shouldn’t have to, I think we shouldn’t date, in fact, I think it’s a good idea if I keep my distance altogether, so, I’ll get my stuff tomorrow and move out.”

“What? What are you talking about!?” Derek said, stunned that Stiles had changed his mind when he’d seemed happy that morning. 

“I’ve got to go.” Stiles said when his phone pinged again. 

“No. No, Stiles, we need to talk about this, is this, do you need me to reassure you right now? Because I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t want you to go anywhere.” Derek said reaching out to grab Stiles’ arm, to stop him from leaving. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow at some point to get my things.” Stiles said, vanishing on the spot and reappearing at the cottage, feeling like his heart had been torn in two, doing his best to keep himself together, he couldn’t fall apart, not like last time, he needed to hold it together, after what had happened today it had made him realise, being with Derek was too dangerous for Derek and for the pack, they could have all been wiped out today, just because Stiles had pissed off the damn thing that John had gone after.

Derek stared at the spot where Stiles had vanished and cursed internally before he sprinted for the back door and out into the preserve. He ran through the preserve, sure that the cottage was just ahead, but, when he broke through the trees, into the clearing where he was certain the cottage was, there was nothing there, he cursed, running forward, sure that the cottage was somehow invisible or something equally idiotic, but, he didn’t hit anything even by the time he’d run across the whole clearing several times, getting more and more frustrated. 

“Stiles!?” He called out but there was no reply, “Fuck!” He shouted, unable to believe that Stiles was gone, what the hell had happened!? This morning he’d been happy, so had Stiles, they’d been laughing and eating pie and joking and talking about their date, how did it get to this? Stiles moving out? Saying he was going to stay away from the pack? It didn’t make any sense, something must have happened while Stiles was out today, whatever had happened with John, Derek was certain of it. He stormed back to the Hale house, slamming open the door and ignoring the look of worry on the pack’s faces, if Stiles was planning on Derek making this easy he was damn wrong. He knew Stiles was lying, he knew it with every fibre of his being, even if his heartbeat had been steady as he spoke. Derek had only just gotten him back, he was not going to lose him again, he would fight tooth and claw to keep him. He went up to Stiles’ room, shoved the belongings that Stiles had into boxes and bags and carried them into the pack room, then he pulled out an old chest of his mom’s, one of the few things to survive the fire, and shoved the bags into there before locking it and carrying it into the middle of the room. After that he pulled out his cuffs and handcuffed himself to the chest and sat down on top of it, if Stiles wanted his belongings he was going to have to speak to Derek to get them. 

“I’m guessing you didn’t talk to Stiles?” Boyd asked when he looked at Derek in confusion. 

“The cottage is gone. I don’t know where he is, the whole damn place is gone and he is not getting to just run away from this, I’m not letting him.” Derek snapped angrily, while the rest of them looked at him like he’d gone insane. 

“The cottage can’t be gone, are you sure you went to the right place?” Erica said sounding confused. 

“I’m certain. If you don’t believe me then go check yourself, but I’m not leaving here until Stiles talks to me, he wants his books and his clothes and stuff then he can come talk to me, otherwise he can manage without them. So, if you see him, you can tell him that.” Derek grumbled, he couldn’t believe this, Stiles couldn’t actually think that, could he? He’d told Derek he was willing to give it a try, and now he was just turning around and saying it wasn’t going to work? No. Derek didn’t believe it. Something had happened today, something to change Stiles’ mind and he wasn’t going to just let him go without finding out what it was, he was angry, so freaking angry, and the longer he had to wait for Stiles to show up, the angrier he was getting. 

Erica was infuriated, Stiles wasn’t answering his phone, Derek was right, the cottage was completely gone and so was Stiles, how could he do this? She didn’t understand, why would Stiles run away from them? If he’d had second thoughts about Derek then she wouldn’t blame him, but, why was he running from the pack? The idea that Stiles had changed his mind about Derek was understandable, but, this kind of reaction wasn’t. Erica was certain something else had happened to cause Stiles to behave like this, which meant Derek was right, there was no way Stiles was walking away from this without giving them a proper explanation, she ran all the way back to the house, determined to make sure she was there when Stiles arrived, hurrying up to the pack room and sitting on the floor next to the chest, leaning slightly on Derek’s legs. 

“Did you find him? Speak to him?” Derek asked quietly sounding destroyed and Erica shook her head. 

“No, you’re right, the cottage is gone. This isn’t about you, I’m sure it’s not. Something happened today with John, it must have done. There’s no way he just runs like this just because he decided he doesn’t want to date you or can’t forget about all the lies or whatever, he wouldn’t cut off all contact with us, even when it had all just happened he talked to me, his answered his phone, he let me know what was going on. To go dark like this, something is wrong with this. I know it is, it doesn’t make sense.” Erica muttered. 

“I know.” Derek agreed, “We’re missing something.” He said, “But, we’re going to get answers, we’re going to fix it, whatever it is.” 

“Well, I’m sure between the two of us we’ll be able to pin him down long enough to get answers from him.” Erica replied. 

“Just the two of you? The rest of us are waiting here too.” Scott said from the doorway, “Stiles has got some explaining to do, none of us are going anywhere until he does.” There were several nods from behind Scott and Derek smiled fondly before the entire pack descended on the room, gathering around the chest with faces full of determination. 

Stiles was exhausted, he knew he hadn’t been fair, that he’d done the exact same thing to Derek and the pack that Derek had done to him. It had taken him a few hours to realise that and when he did he had broken down into tears, all he’d been thinking about was that the pack could have died because of him and he had to keep them safe, and that they’d be safest away from him, it had made sense, no matter how much it hurt him, they should be safe. But that was exactly what Derek had done, trying to protect people by pushing them away, thinking that he knew what was best for them. He sunk to the floor and sobbed brokenly, how could he have blamed Derek? How could he have even been angry at him? Not now that he understood the position Derek had been in. 

He hated the thought of anything happening to any of the pack, but, wasn’t it just yesterday morning that Derek had agreed to never make decisions for Stiles again? If Stiles decided things for Derek and the pack then he was a hypocrite and he just couldn’t do it. He’d tell them, he’d tell them everything, tell them the truth, and, if they decided they were safer away from him then that was fine, he’d survive, but, he couldn’t decide for them, it just wasn’t fair. He glanced at the clock on the wall, it was still early, too early to go wake them yet, he’d wait, he looked around the room, stared at the destruction of the living room where the demon had come through, where they’d battled, where Stiles had only just escaped with his life. He spent the next few hours tidying up, his eyes darting to the clock every few minutes to see if it was an acceptable time to go and see the pack yet, he was so tired and he’d used a lot more magic than he’d thought yesterday, even the boost from Derek and the two boosts he’d given himself before he’d even seen the pack had barely touched his exhaustion, he needed to sleep, but he couldn’t, not until he’d made this right. 

As soon as he’d finished tidying as best he could, really there was no way to repair the structural damage or remove the scorch marks without magic and he just wasn’t up to that, he left the cottage, he was too tired to teleport all the way to the house, but, it wasn’t far to walk and the fresh air would probably clear his head, he wasn’t sure what to say, he was going to apologise, obviously, but, beyond that, he had no idea what to say, he just, he needed to make this right, he needed them to forgive him. He was kind of surprised when none of the pack tackled him the instant he walked through the back door, instead he walked up the stairs, feeling a leaden weight settle in his stomach, he saw the door to his bedroom ajar and stared in horror when he realised that all his belongings were gone, they’d been thrown out, he’d been thrown out, he must have walked past them on his way in, god, he was such an idiot. He’d messed up and now the pack wanted him gone, he had no right to be here, he needed to leave, the tears were already spilling from his eyes when he turned and saw Derek standing in the hallway, looking at Stiles with such anger that Stiles felt himself crumbling even further. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, his voice cracking, “I’m so sorry.” Derek was still looking at him with anger, but there was concern in his features too and Stiles didn’t want to see that, didn’t want Derek to feel sorry for him, Derek had every right to be angry, Stiles couldn’t be here, “I’m going to leave, I’m sorry.” He said, already turning for the stairs when Derek’s hand reached out and grabbed his elbow, stopping him from going anywhere. 

“Stiles…” Derek began and just his voice was enough to break Stiles, he let out a sob, and then Derek was hugging him, holding him tight against him and Stiles clung to him, sobbed into his shoulder, his entire body shaking as he attempted to keep himself under control. Any anger that Derek had been feeling vanished the moment he saw Stiles, saw the fresh tears in his eyes, saw the exhaustion in his features, the dark circles under his eyes that meant he hadn’t slept, he looked like his entire world had collapsed in on itself and Derek knew that feeling all too well, no, he wasn’t angry, not anymore, now he was just scared, he wanted to help Stiles, wanted him to be okay, he wanted to comfort him and reassure him that it was all going to be okay.

“I’m so sorry Derek…I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry…I lied…I don’t want to move out…I’m sorry.” Stiles gasped in between sobs as Derek rubbed his back soothingly, he couldn’t stop the tears streaming down his cheeks, he couldn’t catch his breath, he was just so sorry, he’d made such a mess, he hadn’t meant to hurt anyone and he’d caused them all to hate him, they wanted him out, god, he’d lost them all, “I’m sorry…please don’t kick me out…I lied…I just…I’m sorry.” He confessed. 

“You’re not going anywhere, it’s okay Stiles, shhhh, it’s okay.” Derek reassured him, still clinging tightly to him as Stiles practically crumbled in front of his very eyes, he wasn’t sure what had happened, but the fact Stiles was here, in his arms, he wasn’t going to let go of him until he knew Stiles was going to be okay, and even then, it was going to be a struggle. He stayed holding Stiles until his sobs began to diminish, until the rest of the pack had woken from their slumber and stumbled out into the hallway, until they’d frozen for a second at the scene in front of them and then rushed forward, wrapping their own arms around Stiles, hugging him until his broken cries had ceased and he gulped in oxygen, gasping for breath as he tried to steady himself and swiped at his wet eyes with trembling fingers. 

“I’m sorry.” He said in embarrassment, unable to believe he’d fallen apart so completely, his face was still buried in Derek’s shoulder and he really didn’t want to move, as soon as he moved he’d have to tell them, have to explain how he’d done the same thing that he’d been so angry at Derek for doing, how he’d been terrified that they’d die, he’d been scared and he’d made a bad decision and he was going to pay for it for the rest of his life. “I lied yesterday, that wasn’t why I said what I said.” He whispered, feeling like he was about to burst into tears again. 

“It’s okay, whatever you said, it’s okay, you’re okay.” Derek muttered into his ear and Stiles shook his head. 

“No, no it’s not, please don’t kick me out, I didn’t mean it.” 

“Stiles I’m not kicking you out, you’re not going anywhere, you’re staying here with us, it’ll take a lot more than that to get rid of us.” Derek replied trying to ease some of the tension in Stiles’ body and it seemed to work, Stiles let out a sad chuckle at least before he dissolved into tears again and Derek clung a little tighter to him. “Come on, whatever happened it can wait, you need to sleep, you’re exhausted.” He said, already leading Stiles towards the pack room. 

“No, no, I need to explain.” Stiles said quietly but with such desperation in his voice that Derek stilled, pulling away from Stiles enough to look him in the eyes. 

“Okay, so explain.” Derek said seriously and Stiles nodded, swiping at his eyes to remove evidence of his earlier tears and taking a step away from Derek, making sure he could see the entire pack as he squared his shoulders, he had to tell them everything, then the decision was in their hands. 

“I went to the cottage yesterday, I planned on building defences, you know, like making it harder to find and making myself harder to capture and stuff, and I spent most of the day getting it all sorted, and, I felt good about it, like, it would be a safe retreat, if anything ever happened we’d always be able to get there and be safe and stuff. Then around six John called, he’d been hired to help track a demon, but, it was more powerful than he’d thought, he’d managed to get away for the time being, but, it wasn’t far behind him and he really needed a silver sword blessed with holy water, which he didn’t have to hand, and could I do anything, did I know any other way to kill it, or hide from it, or whatever.” Stiles took a breath, trying to get it all out as quickly as he could, as if that would somehow make it easier, “I had a sword in the basement, I blessed it with holy water and I opened a portal to John and threw the sword through to him. The demon was already with him and it saw the portal, saw me, and jumped through.”

“Into the cottage!?” Kira asked in horror and Stiles nodded. 

“We fought, but, I needed the sword to kill him, he could smell that I was close with a pack of werewolves, he said he was going after you, once he’d killed me, he’d kill all of you, just for knowing me. It was, it was close, but, I managed to shove him back towards the portal and John stabbed him from behind and it killed him and I closed the portal, it had taken so much out of me just to have it open long enough to get the sword to John, I’d used so much magic earlier in the day hiding the cottage, I didn’t think I’d have to use any more, and, then, fighting the demon, I was tired, I must have fallen asleep and then you woke me up when you called.” 

“That doesn’t explain why you said you were moving out.” Scott said and Stiles winced. 

“I wasn’t thinking clearly, I just, all I could think about was that I could have got you all killed because of something so stupid, and, I just, I couldn’t put you in that kind of danger…”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Erica screeched while everyone else just rolled their eyes and Stiles grimaced.

“I didn’t think, until I got back to the cottage, until I’d calmed down enough, at the time, all I’d been thinking was to protect you all, that me being here put you in danger and then, then I realised what I’d done, that I’d done the exact same thing that I’d been so angry about Derek doing, I just, I wasn’t thinking straight, it’s no excuse, I know it’s not, but, god, it was so damn close, and if I’d lost, you’d have all died and it would have been my fault and I was so scared and I’m sorry, I should have never…I shouldn’t have made that choice for you, so I won’t. I messed up and I’m so sorry, but, me being around you is dangerous, for all of you, if you all want me to stay, then I will, but, if even one of you wants me to leave, then I’ll go, because, if I’m here, you guys are in danger, and, I won’t take the choice from you, but, I’ll respect your choice, whatever it is.” Stiles explained. 

“You are so fucking ridiculous!” Jackson said and Stiles stared at him in surprise, “You’re pack Stiles, we all know that, so what if having you around makes it a bit more dangerous for us? Having you around is worth it; besides, you totally kick ass, I’d rather have you by my side if something bad is coming than halfway around the world. And, if I’M thinking that, do you honestly think anyone here would be willing to kick you out? I mean, I’m probably the one that likes you the least, and even I wouldn’t get rid of you. So, you’re staying. Simple as that.” 

“Jackson’s right.” Lydia agreed, “I mean, if the person who supposedly likes you the least spends most of the other night talking about how he wouldn’t mind being the person you chose to forget about Derek with, I think it’s safe to say that none of you want you to leave.” Jackson blushed furiously while Lydia smiled sweetly at him and Stiles just gaped at him like he’d lost his mind.

“I meant with Lydia too! Not just me and you!” Jackson clarified and Lydia grinned. 

“I, of course, agreed with him.” 

“Woah! No! If Stiles is having sex with anybody to forget about Derek, it’s going to be with me and Isaac!” Cora interrupted and Erica laughed. 

“As if! It’s totally going to be me and Boyd!” 

“Excuse me, Scott and I would be way better.” Allison interrupted. 

“We all know I’d be better than both of you.” Malia said derisively. 

“Well, I don’t need anybody else getting involved to make sure I could satisfy him, but, if he wanted someone else involved, I’m sure Kira would be willing to assist?” Peter commented and Kira pursed her lips. 

“So long as Stiles stayed in between us, you’re just not really my type, sorry.” She replied quietly and Peter grinned. 

“Fair enough, I think we can confirm that this means we’re all happy for you to stay, mainly because we’ll be close by when you decide you’ve had enough of this idiot.” Peter smiled fondly and Derek glared at him. 

“I’m not.” Stiles said and they all looked at him in confusion, “I’m not going to ever have enough of him.” He turned to look at Derek seriously, “I messed up yesterday, and when I realised what I’d done, it felt like I’d ripped a part of my heart out. I did it for the right reasons, I wasn’t trying to get my own back or anything like that, I just, all I could think was that if you died I’d be devastated and that I had to keep you safe. You did something bad, but you did it for the right reasons, and, if you care for me, even a fraction of how much I care for you, then doing it must have nearly killed you, and to keep it up for so long, to hold it together, because my happiness was more important, even if I wasn’t particularly happy, my safety was more important, then, I get it, and I understand and I forgive you and I will never blame you for it again or be angry at you for it again, I’m over it. If you can forgive me for doing the exact same idiotic thing then that would be great, because, honestly, I’ve been in love with you for years and I’m not sure anything will ever stop me loving you, even when I first found out, when I wanted to punch you…”

“You did punch me…”

“On the arm. At least I didn’t do it to your face. But, the point is, even then, I loved you, and I was scared to admit it, scared of getting hurt again, because I couldn’t go through that again, I thought it would be better not to admit it, then you could never have the chance to hurt me again, but, Derek, I know that whatever I go through, having you by my side will only make me stronger, and, I believe you when you say you’d never purposefully hurt me again, and, I trust you and I love you and I want to be with you so please, please give me another chance. But, if you can’t, I get that too, I messed up and I hurt you, and, I’m so sorry, I fucked up, I’m so sorry, please forgive me.” Stiles pleaded and Derek frowned at him. 

“Stiles, you did nothing wrong, you were scared and you panicked, and, as soon as you calmed down, you wanted to fix things. We’re all guilty of doing stupid things when we’re scared, the important thing is that you came back, that’s all I care about, having you here with us, with me. Because, you’re right, I know that whatever we go through, we’re stronger together, and not just us, the pack, all of us, we’re stronger together, so, no matter what stupid decisions any of us make now, or in the future, all we have to do is come back and everything is forgiven, okay? No matter what. So long as we’re together, we’ll work everything else out.” Derek said, taking Stiles’ hand in his own and squeezing it tightly. 

“Okay.” Stiles agreed, smiling slightly despite his exhaustion, he just wanted to sleep, to hold on to Derek and sleep for a week. 

“Good, now, next, can you all please stop offering to have sex with Stiles! I get it, you find him attractive, fantastic, well done for having functioning eyes, but, sex with him is off limits, unless he brings it up, as it stands, the only person who gets to discuss sex with him is me, got it?” Derek said and the pack all rolled their eyes while Stiles blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed but also excited, pleased that Derek was willing to defend him like that, obviously sensing or smelling that all the talk of threesomes had made Stiles uncomfortable. 

“What about kissing him when he needs energy?” Peter queried and Derek sighed. 

“If I’m not around, or not capable of doing it, then, yes, I guess, if Stiles is okay with it. But, if I’m there then no. Stiles and I are, well, going on a date sounds kind of stupid, and, so does that we’re dating, you’re more than that to me, so, we’re together, and that’s the end of it, okay?” He glanced at Stiles who grinned, leaning in to peck him on the cheek even as he sighed with tiredness. 

“Yeah, together.” He agreed, feeling such contentment that he wondered why he’d been fighting it for so long. 

“Come on, you need to sleep.” Derek said, taking in the way Stiles’ eyes were fluttering closed against his will.

“I’m fine.” Stiles muttered. 

“Sure you are, alright, well, here.” Derek said, leaning in and pulling Stiles into a kiss, they both felt the energy rush instantly, the mist forming around them and glowing softly, Stiles relaxed into the kiss, knowing that this was going to be the first of many kisses with Derek, because they’d finally sorted their crap out and he wasn’t going to let anyone tear them apart again. They broke apart a few minutes later but only because Erica cleared her throat impatiently and Stiles turned to look at her. 

“Dude, kissing Derek Hale here!” Stiles joked and Erica rolled her eyes. 

“I’ve kissed you, believe me, Derek’s the one getting the treat.” She commented and Stiles blushed while Derek only shrugged in agreement, looking a little jealous. 

“How about we stop bringing up my kissing skills?” Stiles muttered. 

“So long as you never mention about the Hale kissing club again.” Malia said and Stiles gaped at her. 

“The what?” He asked. 

“A while back, you said we all do the same weird flicky thing with our tongues, so, don’t bring it up again and we’ll stop reminding Derek that we’ve all kissed you, probably more times than he has if we’re honest.” Malia explained. 

“I seriously don’t remember saying that.” 

“You were pretty much unconscious at the time, so I don’t think it counts. Do you want a refresher?” Cora smirked, taking a step towards him and grinning when Stiles leaned against Derek. 

“I’m good thanks, as far as I’m concerned, the only person I’m going to be kissing from now on, unless it’s a life or death emergency, is the one standing right next to me.” He smiled happily and Derek leaned in, giving him another kiss and Stiles grinned against his lips, Derek could smell the happiness radiating from Stiles and it only made the joy in his own heart increase tenfold, Stiles loved him, Stiles wanted to be with him, Stiles was part of the pack, he was home, he was staying and everything was going to be fine. 

“Ahem.” Erica said clearing her throat again and Derek pulled away to look at her. 

“What!?” He groaned, he’d been very much enjoying that kiss and Erica had ruined it. 

“If you two are done…”

“We’re not.” Derek said and Erica growled. 

“You are for now. We have questions that need answering now that Stiles doesn’t look like he’s about to collapse.” 

“How come he can take that much energy from you and you don’t get all woozy or whatever? You only seem to get stronger from it, and the weird glowy mist thing didn’t appear that time, why is that?” Isaac asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“I guess because I wasn’t taking any energy that time, it was just a kiss?” Stiles said. 

“But that doesn’t explain why Derek doesn’t collapse from energy loss or why the mist appears in the first place.” Malia said and Stiles shrugged. 

“I don’t know? It’s not like it’s ever happened before. If I had the answers I’d tell you, but, I don’t know. I’ll figure it out though, I mean, the only reason I know as much about my magic as I do is because I know how to research, so, I’ll figure it out.” Stiles replied. 

“If you’ll recall, I did say it might not be so much to do with your magic, more to do with Derek being a werewolf.” Peter said and Stiles looked at him in surprise, leaning into Derek’s side slightly. “Come on, I need some coffee and toast, then I can explain my theory.” He said leading them downstairs, they waited until everyone had got some breakfast and settled in the living room before Derek looked to Peter. 

“So, what’s your theory?” Derek asked, unsure why Stiles’ magic would react differently to Derek than it had with the rest of the pack, “Maybe because I’m the Alpha?” 

“No, that’s not it.” Peter said, looking smug, “Do you remember what your mom used to say about her and your father?” 

“That they were mates.” Cora said quickly, “True mates, that they could have been anywhere in the world and eventually their paths would have crossed, they were destined to find each other.” 

“I’ve heard of wolf mates, but, true mates? Is that a thing? Like, wolf mates are just your partner, whoever you choose to spend your life with, if it ends for whatever reason, you can always meet another mate, right?” Stiles queried, looking to Derek who looked flabbergasted. 

“Um, well, yeah, you’re right, wolf mates exist, they’re just girlfriends, boyfriends, partners, husbands, wives, whatever, but, um, true mates, mom always said it, but I just figured she was just romanticising the whole thing. She said that her and dad were true mates, that they were soulmates, they were meant to be together, destined to be together.” Derek said, “But, it was just a story, true mates only exist in stories, they’re not real.” He added to try and reassure Stiles who looked a little nervous. 

“Do you remember what else she used to say?” Peter prompted and Cora and Derek looked to each other before shrugging and shaking their heads, “She used to say that they took strength from each other and it only made them stronger, I witnessed it myself once, we had a few skirmishes with other packs when we I was younger, your mother and father hadn’t been together very long, your grandfather was Alpha, the pack attacked and your mother and father were both injured and taken prisoner.” Peter paused dramatically and everyone stared at him.

“So what happened!?” Stiles asked desperately. 

“They were going to execute your mother, she was the child of the Alpha, the next in line for succession, kill her and the pack would be damaged irrevocably. As her final request she asked to be able to give your father one last kiss, to say goodbye. We wanted to stop them, but, your mother and father were trapped and injured, any attempt to rescue them would result in their deaths, we knew that, the only way for them to escape would be to fight their way out and neither of them were in any state to do that.” 

“Mom never told us any of this, how did they survive?” Derek asked in awe, wondering what else had happened in his mom’s life that he never knew about. 

“She kissed him, and, it was, sometimes I can still see it in my mind, they kissed and they healed almost instantly, both of them, they jumped up, fought their captives, long enough that the rest of us could resume the fight without there being the certainty of their deaths, and, we won. When I asked your mom about it later, she didn’t have an explanation, she just said it had been magic, that as soon as she kissed your father it felt like all her strength had been returned, that he was hers to protect and that she would fight until death to protect him, and, when I spoke to your father, he said the same thing, that her strength had strengthened him, that they’d healed each other, because they were true mates.” Peter said, “I don’t think what is happening between the two of you is because of Stiles’ magic or because Derek is Alpha, I think it is because the two of you are true mates, soulmates, destined to find each other no matter where you are in the world. It makes sense as to why you both only grow stronger from the kiss whereas with the rest of us, Stiles takes our energy, I believe the two of you are true mates, but, with Stiles being magical as oppose to werewolves, it just means that it manifests in a different way than your mother and father, and that, up until very recently, neither of you admitted to feeling that way about each other, which is why it's only just started happening, because you both pulled your heads out of your asses and realised you’re in love with each other.” 

“Wow.” Cora muttered and Derek nodded numbly, feeling like his heart was about to beat out of his chest, he could hear Stiles’ heart beating just as wildly in his own chest and he wanted to reassure him but he wasn’t sure what to say, if what Peter was saying was true, and Derek was sure it was, then he’d basically tied Stiles to him, what if this wasn’t what Stiles wanted? Sure, he’d said he loved Derek and wanted to be with him, but, saying it and living it were two very different things, what if Stiles didn’t want to be Derek’s soulmate? What if he just wanted to date him and now he’d be stuck with him? All because Derek was a werewolf. God, this was his fault. 

“I’m not sure which one of you is freaking out more right now.” Erica said looking between the two of them, Stiles looked across at Derek, no doubt seeing the panic in his eyes and knowing the same was reflected in his own eyes before he reached out and smoothed the crinkle between Derek’s eyebrows with his thumb and gave him a small smile. 

“Relax sourwolf, you’re going to give yourself wrinkles.” Stiles whispered hoarsely. 

“You can’t tell me that you’re okay with this? Finding out that I’ve basically forced you into…”

“Woah! Stop right there, dude! You haven’t forced me into anything. I want to be with you. Yeah, finding out we’re supposedly soulmates is a bit of a shock, but, that doesn’t change how I feel about you, I want to be with you, I guess now, all that changes is that I know we’re destined to be together, but, that doesn’t really change anything, I already knew that we’ll always work things out, always come back to each other, because we love each other, not because we’re soulmates.” 

“If you’re so sure it’s true, then why are you freaking out?” 

“Are you kidding me?” Stiles said, “I’ve only just stopped having a complete breakdown over nearly getting you all killed yesterday, of course I’m freaking out over the fact I’m bound to you! What if something happens to me? Does it kill you too? I know you don’t like talking about it, but, your mom and dad died, if they were true mates, why didn’t they cling to each other in the fire and then survive? Does that mean if we’re ever trapped and I die, do you die? Because I need you alive, even if I’m not, you’re the one that everyone looks to, and, if anything happened to me, you’re the one I’d need to make sure dad was okay, and, I’m a freaking trouble magnet, I know we’ve gone over this, but, I’m dangerous to be around and now you’re basically stuck with me, no matter what, and what if something happens to you because of that? God, I think I have plenty of things to be freaking out over.” Stiles said, running a hand through his hair and Derek felt a fond smile on his lips as his hair stuck up in a hundred different directions. 

“Shut up Stiles.” He teased, reaching out to cup Stiles’ cheeks between his hands, “We’ll figure it out, together, because we love each other, nothing else matters, true mates or not, real or not, it doesn’t matter, we love each other, and everything else we’ll work out.” He said and Stiles nodded in agreement, the love in his eyes clear for them all to see, Derek leaned in and kissed him slowly, gently, with such tenderness that Stiles couldn’t help the way his heart stuttered slightly. 

“There’s more questions that need answering.” Malia said and Stiles sighed heavily, rolling his eyes and breaking the kiss. 

“Do you think we’re ever going to be able to have a kiss that isn’t interrupted?” Stiles whined and Derek grinned. 

“We’ll get the questions out of the way and then I’ll kick them out for a few hours.” Derek muttered in reply and Stiles chuckled quietly. 

“Okay, fine, what else do you want to know?” He sighed. 

“Where did the cottage go?” “Is it invisible?” “What do you mean you turned it into a panic room?” “Yeah, and you said you can teleport there from anywhere in the world?” The questions came in thick and fast and Stiles sighed, falling backwards into the nearest sofa and pulling Derek with him, leaning into his side and making himself comfortable while Derek just smiled at him with such love that it made Stiles blush slightly, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to seeing Derek looking at him like that. 

“Okay, first off, it’s not invisible, maintaining an invisibility barrier around it twenty-four hours a day would tie up too much magic, and, people would be able to walk into the barrier if they knew where the cottage was, which would kind of give away the hiding place.” Stiles explained, “So, I shifted it underground, it wasn’t hard, just open up a hole, drop the cottage in, reseal it, leaving a small section that leads up to ground level, there’s a protective barrier around the entrance, but, it’s so small, you could literally run over it and not even know it was there, and, I barely even notice it magic wise, so I could maintain under pretty much any circumstances meaning that I don’t have to worry about someone accidentally finding it even when I’m at my weakest.”

“Alright, what about being able to teleport there from wherever you are?” Erica pressed and Stiles shrugged. 

“I mean, it’s a theory, I’m working on it, but, well, the tattoo, you know I had one that basically connected me to Theo, that we could draw energy from each other at any point in time no matter where we were in the world, well, I sort of, I went with that theory, that I could find a way to tie myself to the cottage, that I could be anywhere in the world, and, I’d be able to touch this tattoo,” he said, raising his shirt slightly and showing them a tattoo on his side that Derek was almost certain hadn’t been there previously, “and, it’d basically transport me back there, I haven’t tried it yet, only like, from nearby, but then John called and I got wrapped up in the whole demon and nearly dying thing, and, then, yeah…” He trailed off, looking at them apologetically. 

“So how certain are you that it’ll work and it won’t just kill you? I mean, teleporting any significant distance usually weakens you, could kill you, just like the portals do, so, what are the chances of this working?” Peter asked. 

“Well, if I’m using it, it’s probably a life or death situation, so, possibly dying getting back here would probably be a better alternative to staying wherever I am, and, if I’m honest, I’m not planning on going anywhere unless it’s an absolute necessity, I want to stay in Beacon Hills, not just because of you guys, but, this is my home, I want to stay here, I don’t want to run away again, I just, I want to be here, make a life here, not go running off wherever at a moment’s notice, I’m not saying that’s not going to happen from time to time, but, I want to stay here.” Stiles replied honestly. 

“What about using astral projection? Could you not use that to go around the world if you have to? That way if anything happened, your body would still be safe here?” Kira suggested. 

“Last time I used astral projection it was to bail Derek’s ass out and the next four days are kind of a blank for me, now, admittedly, if Theo hadn’t taken some of my energy to help in his fight, I might not have been so bad, but, it’s still not something I’m willing to try again unnecessarily, I couldn’t maintain it for a long time, it would have to be like twenty minutes tops, which isn’t usually long enough for me to help with whatever needs doing, especially, because, really, I can’t do any damage in astral form, it’s more like, I can just see what’s going on, we were incredibly lucky that that witch was so powerless, if she’d had any serious power she could have blasted me back to my body and Derek would have died, so, yeah, I’m not a huge fan of astral projection if I’m honest, I’m more vulnerable in that state than I am just rocking up wherever I need to be.” Stiles shrugged. “And, besides, it’s a moot point, at the moment I have absolutely no intention of going anywhere, it was just something I was messing around with, I don’t want to find myself in the situation and have no back-up plan, anyway, I’m not planning on going anywhere, so, it’s not a big deal.” He cuddled closer to Derek’s side, “Does that answer all the questions?” 

“No.” Isaac said, “Why did you think we were kicking you out?” 

“Oh, um, well, all my stuff is gone?” Stiles muttered in embarrassment. 

“Yeah, it’s all in the pack room, there was no chance I was letting you leave until we had a chance to talk.” Derek said and Stiles stared at him, “On a side note, we need to buy you some more clothes and things, I could literally fit all of your belongings in one trunk.” Derek added. 

“Well if people stopped stealing them then it wouldn’t be an issue.” Stiles replied. 

“I don’t steal all your clothes.” Derek mumbled. 

“Just the majority of them.” Erica said and Stiles grinned. 

“So that’s what happened to all the shirts I sent you?” He asked. 

“Are you kidding? The instant I let go of them Derek hoarded them all.” Erica smirked, “I’m pretty sure he’s got an entire box full of them in his room that he just rolls around in.” 

“I do not.” Derek said, blushing in embarrassment. 

“Liar, liar pants on fire.” Cora said and Derek blushed brighter. 

“Oh god, that is adorable.” Stiles teased. 

“Shut up. I was just, it was, a werewolf thing, you know, a pack members scent or whatever.” Derek lied.

“Dude, you don’t have to be all embarrassed about it, I’m your soulmate, you’re allowed to have missed me.” Stiles smiled brightly. 

“Whatever.” Derek grumbled, still flushed from being caught out.

“So does this mean now we get some time alone?” Stiles questioned the pack. 

“I guess so, but, I still need to talk to you about this taking leadership of what’s left of the council.” Erica said. 

“That can wait until later, can’t it? I mean, come on, Derek and I have some important stuff to talk about, maybe slightly more important than how I’m going to manage helping out a few people from time to time, so, it can wait, right?” Stiles argued just as Derek’s phone started ringing and Stiles turned to look at it. 

“Hey Noah.” Derek answered the call and grimaced, he’d forgotten he was supposed to be on shift today, after everything that had happened with Stiles yesterday, it had just completely slipped his mind. “Sorry, I forgot, I’ll be there.” He looked at the clock, he still had thirty minutes before his shift started, “Can I meet you at the station?”

“Yeah, sure, everything okay?” Noah quizzed. 

“Yeah, fine, there was just some stuff that needed sorting out with Stiles and the pack and things, I’ll tell you about it when I get there.” He said, glad that he hadn’t called Noah last night when Stiles had vanished, as much as he got on with the older man, he knew the situation had needed to be resolved by talking to Stiles, not by dragging Noah into it. “Sorry, I’ve got a shift.” He said to Stiles apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it, I was going to call in and see dad later anyway, I could maybe come say hi to you once I’ve spoken to him?” Stiles said, already moving away to allow Derek to stand up and start getting ready. 

“I’d love that.” He grinned, giving Stiles a quick peck on the lips before running upstairs to grab a shower. 

“Great, which means I get the day with you.” Erica smirked. 

“Don’t you have work?” Stiles replied. 

“It’s an apprenticeship but I’m still allowed the day off now and again, especially when I need to make sure my best friend isn’t about to put his life in danger.” Erica shrugged. 

“Um, what about me? Am I not allowed to make sure he’s not doing anything stupid too?” Scott added. 

“If Deaton is okay with it, sure.” Stiles said. Deaton was still a sore topic around a lot of the pack, the fact that he might have been able to help Stiles learn about his magic and instead had said nothing and therefore left Stiles with a void inside him that the nogitsune had been able to enter easily, wasn’t something any of them had forgotten. Scott in particular had shouted at him a lot, something that only Derek knew about, he’d been lucky that he was there to intervene, otherwise he was almost certain that Scott would have torn the man apart. As it was, things were still strained between the pair, but once Deaton had apologised repeatedly, explaining that he’d had no idea that by not training Stiles it would have increased the chances of something filling the void inside him. Deaton had been trying to keep Stiles safe, knowing that magic was a dangerous skill, that if Stiles was trained in magic, it would only increase the danger he would be in as he’d become a walking, talking, trouble magnet, with all the trouble Stiles already got himself in, it made sense to Deaton that he didn’t increase that trouble, the chances of something finding and filling the void in Stiles were much less likely than him attracting trouble that he couldn’t handle if he trained in magic. 

They all understood that Deaton had been trying to be helpful, trying to make the right decision, but, as they’d all discussed since, making decisions for Stiles didn’t usually turn out the way they hoped, they all agreed that Deaton should have explained the options to Stiles and allowed Stiles to make his own decisions, but, Derek couldn’t exactly argue with Deaton’s thought process, especially not when he’d made the exact same mistake. 

“Deaton will be fine with it.” Scott said dismissively and Stiles looked at him in surprise, he’d never heard Scott speak about Deaton with that tone of voice before. 

“Alright,” He said uncertainly, “If you’re sure, then, yeah, why not?” Stiles said, grinning when Derek reappeared, freshly showered and in his uniform. 

“I’ll see you later and we’ll talk some more.” Derek said and Stiles jumped up, giving him a kiss and then pulling away a moment later. 

“Deal.” Stiles smiled, unable to stop himself from grinning like an idiot when Derek stared at him looking stunned. 

“God, I love you.” Derek said and Stiles grinned so widely he thought his cheeks were going to fall off. 

“I love you too. Have fun at work and tell dad I’ll swing by later.” Stiles smiled. 

“Okay, I’ve got to run, see you later.” Derek said, waving to the rest of the pack as he dashed out of the room, they heard his car start up a moment later and then he was gone. 

“I need to get to college.” Lydia said and it was like her words broke some kind of trance for the rest of the pack as several of them hurried around before dashing off to wherever they were supposed to be, until, eventually, Stiles was left with Erica, Scott, Malia and Peter. 

“So, are you going to show us the cottage then?” Malia asked and Stiles nodded, laughing at the fist pumps that both Scott and Erica gave. 

“Sure thing, let’s go.” He said, making his way out the front door and in to the preserve. They were amazed by the fact that the cottage was hidden so well, Stiles showed them the location of the secret entrance, climbing down the ladder he’d created in the chimney and entering the living room. He’d enchanted the windows in the cottage to reflect the weather outside meaning that at present, bright sunlight was shining through them, it wasn’t a big spell to maintain, barely using any energy which Stiles was grateful for, but, the sunlight meant it was clear to see the scorch marks from the fight with the demon that he hadn’t had the energy to fix this morning. 

“You weren’t kidding.” Erica muttered and Stiles shrugged, waving his hand and they all watched with amazement as the scorch marks vanished and fresh paint appeared in their place. 

“So, your magic is back at full power then?” Peter asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“Pretty much, obviously this thing with Derek, true mates or whatever it is, it helps me replenish energy a lot quicker without taking any of his, which, is great for both of us, but, also, kissing Derek without taking energy is pretty awesome too.” Stiles smiled. 

“I don’t know, I mean, obviously I’ve thought about kissing Derek, I mean, he’s totally hot so who wouldn’t want to, but, preference wise, knowing how good of a kisser you are, I’d stick with that you’re slightly more awesome.” Erica said and Stiles shook his head fondly. 

“You know, now that Derek and I are dating or together or whatever you want to call it, I’d say maybe stop offering to stick your tongue down my throat, I’m beginning to think he’s got a bit of a jealous streak.” Stiles teased. 

“A bit? Are you kidding me? You might as well have ‘property of Derek Hale’ stamped on your forehead.” Malia laughed. 

“I’d prefer it stamped on my ass if I’m honest.” Stiles muttered and Erica snorted with laughter. 

“I’m almost certain Derek wants it stamped there too, god, you already reek of him and you haven’t even had sex yet, just, don’t go stinking the place out when you guys finally do it, the loft stank of the two of you for weeks last time.” Peter sniffed and Stiles gaped at him before blushing and nodding. 

“Right, um, yeah, no stinking the house out, got it.” 

“I don’t mind.” Malia said, “I thought it was a good smell, okay, like, yeah, the loft stank of your hurt and Derek’s anger, but, his room, it was a good smell, kind of, happy, yeah, you were both really happy, I used to go sit in there when I felt like I was losing my anchor, using the scent of both of you to keep me calm, but, then it faded, and I just had to try and remember what it felt like.” If Stiles had gaped at Peter, it was nothing in comparison to this, he was speechless, completely and utterly at a loss for words.

“Um.” Stiles muttered, glancing to the others for help on how to deal with this. 

“That’s normal Malia.” Peter said, “The scent of your Alpha and his mate will always calm you, it will calm all of us, it doesn’t have to be sex related, just, last time, because of what happened afterwards, Derek’s room was the only room that smelled like both of them, if Derek hadn’t been an idiot, and Stiles hadn’t left, the loft would have become their den,” Stiles opened his mouth to speak and Peter shook his head, “No, I don’t mean sex everywhere in the loft, I mean, it would become your den, there’s a difference, it would be your scents combined, but, no, not sex everywhere, please at least attempt to keep it in the bedroom.”

“Got it.” Stiles said feeling mortified, now that he’d resolved things with Derek of course he was thinking about having sex with him, he hadn’t sex in over three years and even getting himself off had become something he only did when he needed energy, it wasn’t like he ever just did it for fun anymore, so, yeah, of course he was thinking about having sex with Derek, but, he really didn’t need everybody else to be thinking about it too, it was just embarrassing. 

Around lunchtime he decided he was going to head across to the station, bring his dad and Derek some lunch, maybe, if it was a quiet day, he could speak to Derek, arrange for them to go somewhere and talk without all the pack listening in. He excused himself, letting the others make up their minds if they wanted to stay at the cottage or go back to the house before heading into town, he picked up a few burgers and chips and headed to the station, his dad was in his office so he went in to see him first, depositing the burger and chips in front of him and giving him a bright smile. 

“So, I hear you and Derek are going to make a go of things?” Noah said once he’d finished his burger and Stiles finished his mouthful before nodding. 

“I know you’re probably a bit unsure about it, I mean, after what happened last time…” Stiles said before Noah held up a hand to tell him to wait. 

“I’m not unsure Stiles, you’re a grown man, it’s your decision to make, and, really, I like Derek, he’s a good man, he made a mistake before, one that he paid for, repeatedly, and, I trust your instincts Stiles, if you trust him, then I’m happy for you, both of you.” 

“You’re not going to give him a big speech about how if he hurts me you’ll kill him?” Stiles smiled. 

“Why would I? He already knows I would, I don’t need to tell him.” Noah smirked in reply and Stiles laughed.

“I’m, um, I’m really glad you’re okay with this dad, I was worried you’d tell me it was a mistake and I’d have to argue with you about it.” 

“No, I think, personally, I think the two of you will be good together, you’ll balance each other out, although, you are both much too willing to sacrifice your lives to keep others safe, maybe you could both work on that a little bit, maybe having each other around will stop you both trying to achieve martyrdom, who knows? I just, I think you’re a good match, and, I’m happy for you kiddo, truly, I am.” Noah smiled, standing up and giving Stiles a hug, “Now, get out of here and go see that fella of yours, I’m sure I can give him an afternoon off so you can talk without everyone around.” 

“Thanks dad.” Stiles said, hugging him again before he left the office and looked around the station. 

“Hey, Stiles right?” A deputy said, approaching him and already holding out a hand for him to shake, Stiles accepted, shaking the man’s hand in reply and nodding. “I’m Deputy Mills, we met out at the lake, you know with those drowning victims?” 

“Oh, right, yeah, Deputy Mills, nice to see you again.” Stiles said, still trying to place the man, had he perhaps been one of the deputies on perimeter watch? Stiles wasn’t sure, he couldn’t remember, a lot had happened since then, and Mills obviously hadn’t made a lasting impression. “Well, um, I better…” 

“I was going to try and track you down before, but your dad said you were busy with work and stuff, being a special agent, that must be hard work. Did you have a lot of training?” Mills asked and Stiles shrugged. 

“I guess, yeah, a few courses and stuff, anyway, I was just looking for…” 

“So, you’ve seen a lot of the world then? Your dad said you travel a lot?” 

“Um, yeah, I guess, I mean, a few places yeah, but, um, well, I actually came to see…” 

“I’ve never really travelled much myself, nope, born and bred in the next town over, finished high school and knew I wanted to join the police force, so I signed up and have been a deputy ever since, six years actually, I moved here about six months ago, your dad’s a good sheriff, he managed to keep you a secret for a long time, I mean, obviously he talked about you, but, he never said you were off being a real life action hero, or just how attractive you are.” 

“Well, erm, I, thanks?” Stiles said feeling incredibly uncomfortable, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to reply to that. 

“So, I was thinking, the reason I was trying to track you down before, I think it’d be a good idea if I took you out on a date, I like you, you like me, we could go get some food, see where the night takes us, so, when are you free?” Mills asked and Stiles gaped at him. 

“I, um, well, you see, the thing is, I’m sure you’re a nice guy but…” 

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun, I’ll show you a good time, you haven’t been back in Beacon Hills for a while, I’ll show you all the good places to go, we can hit a few clubs, have a few drinks, enjoy ourselves.” Mills pressed reaching out to touch Stiles’ arm, just as the door opened and Derek walked in, Stiles stepped out of Mills’ grasp, shooting Derek an apologetic look. “I’m just saying, go on a date with me, it’d be the best decision of your life, I’m certain of it, all you have to do is come out with me, look at least half as good as you do right now and that’ll keep me happy all night, you don’t even have to talk to me.” Mills said and Stiles grimaced, it had been one thing Mills suggesting a date, it was another altogether when he was obviously just interested in sex. 

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Stiles replied, glancing at Derek who was moving towards them with determination in his features, he couldn’t help but notice that most of the department were looking towards Mills and Stiles and it made him nervous, Mills took another step forward, as if to touch Stiles’ arm again except then Derek was there, reaching out a hand and cupping Stiles’ jaw before pulling him into a kiss right in front of Mills. Stiles put a hand on Derek’s hip, pulling him closer, he parted his lips allowing Derek’s tongue entrance to his mouth, groaning slightly as Derek’s hand moved to the back of his neck and he pulled Stiles closer to him, he could feel himself getting hard in his trousers, god, kissing Derek shouldn’t feel so amazing, he really needed to get a grip on himself, although, right now, he’d prefer that Derek got a grip on him. He pulled away, feeling Derek smirking against his lips, no doubt able to smell what he was doing to Stiles. 

“Hey.” Derek said in greeting and Stiles laughed. 

“Hey to you too. Do you greet everybody like that?” Stiles teased. 

“Only the really special people.” Derek smiled in reply before he looked pointedly at Mills who was staring at both of them with an open mouth, “Something I can help you with Mills?” Derek asked, his hand still on Stiles’ cheek and Mills opened and closed his mouth a few times before he shook his head and turned on his heel, walking away quickly. 

“So, um, dad said he’ll give you the afternoon off, that we could go and talk privately, I mean, we have stuff to talk about, you know, so, um, if you don’t mind bunking off for the afternoon, we could go talk?” Stiles said and Derek grinned.

“Yeah, that sounds good, let me just put this paperwork down and tell your dad I’m leaving and I’m all yours.” 

“You’re all mine anyway.” Stiles remarked and Derek smiled brightly. 

“You bet your ass I am.” Derek replied, walking to his desk and putting down his paperwork before going to Noah’s office and knocking before sticking his head in, “Sir? You don’t mind me disappearing for a few hours?” 

“No, get out of here Hale. I expect you to make the time up over the rest of the week though, I don’t play favourites, even to my future son-in-law.” 

“Got it sir.” Derek grinned, shutting the door, grabbing Stiles’ hand and leaving the station.

“Oh, here, I brought you food.” Stiles said, handing Derek a fast food bag as they slid into his car. 

“Thanks, I’m starving.” Derek said, ripping open the bag and biting into the burger hungrily. “Tasty.” 

“Good, glad you like it, I figured everybody likes grease, especially Alpha werewolves who have an incredibly fast metabolism and are constantly hungry.”

“I prefer foods that don’t stink of fat and grease, but, right now, I’m so hungry, it smells vaguely like actual meat, I’ll take it.” Derek replied, tearing another chunk off the burger. 

“Didn’t you eat enough at breakfast?” Stiles queried. 

“I thought I did, but then it’s been a long day, a few house calls, a chase through the market, burned off more energy than normal. How was your morning? Other than having Mills hitting on you and not knowing how to take no for an answer?” Derek said and Stiles laughed. 

“Yeah, that was a little awkward, thanks for the save by the way.” Stiles commented. 

“Of course, I wanted to make sure he knew that you weren’t interested in anyone else, I hope that wasn’t too, um, presumptuous of me?” Derek asked and Stiles grinned. 

“Definitely not, the way I see it, you’re mine and I’m yours and everyone should know it, and, okay, I’m sure you could tell that I very much enjoyed that little possessive display earlier just by scent alone, so, I’m all for making sure everyone knows it, but, maybe a little warning next time, just so maybe I don’t get quite so excited, because popping a boner in public is kind of embarrassing.” Stiles rambled and Derek smiled happily. 

“Really? Hmm, I mean, I knew you liked it, but, really? Popping a boner?” Derek grinned and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t go getting a big head, I’m pretty sure I could get you to have a boner with a kiss too.” Sties said. 

“Want to give it a try?” Derek replied cheekily and Stiles smirked. 

“You sure you could handle burning off the energy? Your stomach isn’t going to start rumbling part way through?” 

“A kiss? Pretty sure I’ll be okay.” Derek replied, driving them out of town and into a more secluded part of the preserve before he pulled over and turned to look at Stiles, “So, I figure we should talk about this whole ‘soulmates’ thing.” 

“Uh-huh, right after a kiss.” Stiles replied, moving forwards and pulling Derek into a kiss, leaning over the gearstick to get closer to him, smiling when Derek groaned, opening his mouth to allow Stiles’ tongue entrance to his mouth and he reached over to grip at Stiles’ waist. Stiles deepened the kiss, feeling Derek’s stubble under his fingertips, his lips rough against his own, Derek moaned again and raised his hips upwards as much as he could under his seatbelt and Stiles grinned, breaking the kiss. “See. Told you I could.” He whispered, reaching down and brushing his fingertips over Derek’s crotch, grinning at him as Derek groaned again, throwing his head back against the headrest and exposing his throat, Stiles moved forwards, pressing his lips to Derek’s throat and kissing softly, his fingers still tracing the outline of his cock through his jeans, Derek groaned louder, thrusting his hips upwards, trying to get more friction against Stiles’ hand when Stiles sucked gently against his skin. 

“Jesus, Stiles.” Derek panted, unable to believe how quickly Stiles could drive him insane, just the feel of his lips on his skin, god, it was enough to have him begging for more and Derek was sure he’d never get enough of this. 

“So, do you want to talk now?” Stiles smiled, pulling away from Derek and settling back into his seat. 

“No, not right now, really no.” Derek said, unclipping his seatbelt and practically climbing over the gearstick to pin Stiles to his seat, kissing him fiercely, roughly, pressing him into the seat, his hands running over Stiles’ side, his waist, his hips, kissing his lips, his jaw, moving to nibble on his ear as Stiles gasped in pleasure, Derek smirked, not realising the kind of effect that action would have on Stiles, he moved slightly, kissing just behind his ear before biting his ear lobe softly again and Stiles grunted, his hips trying to thrust upwards except Derek was still holding his hips in place and he chuckled quietly into his ear, “Seems like I’m not the only one not interested in not talking right now.” Derek commented. 

“Are you fucking serious!? Jesus, just, Derek, fuck.” Stiles said, trying to thrust his hips upwards again.

“I want you so badly right now.” Derek said and Stiles groaned. 

“Well you’ve got me, just, god, I really, really, need you to touch me right now, god, please.” Stiles begged and Derek pulled away, smiling as he held Stiles in place. 

“Okay, sure, but, not here.” Derek said seriously. 

“What!?” Stiles squawked, “Derek, I swear to god, I already feel like I’m going to combust, if this is some weird wolf thing like we have to go do it in the preserve or something I’m going to kill you.” Stiles said, his voice trailing off into a whine when Derek nibbled on his ear again. 

“It’s not a wolf thing.” He said, pulling away far enough to look Stiles in the eyes, to let him know how serious he was. “Stiles, the last time we had sex it was amazing, and then I messed things up, and, I don’t want this time, the first time when we both know exactly what we what and what this means, what we mean to each other, I don’t want this to be some quick fumble in my car, I want to do this right, I want to spend hours worshipping you and making sure that you are happy, that you know how much I love you, how much I want to be with you, I want to make love to you the way I should have done the first time, not when I was just reacting, when I’d been so scared of losing you, so desperate to make sure that you were mine and you were protected, I want to do this properly, I want you to know that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and today is just the start of our lives together.” 

“Wow.” Stiles muttered, his eyes filling with unshed tears before he pulled Derek into a kiss, “You know how to make a guy feel really special.” He whispered against his lips, “I love you, god, I love you Der, I love you, I love you, I love you.” He said, each repetition making his heart throb unsteadily and his chest lighten, as if a great weight had been lifted, one he hadn’t even known he’d been carrying, as if admitting his feelings for Derek was releasing all the negative emotions he’d felt for so long. 

“I love you too, god, Stiles, you have no idea how much I love you, I’d do anything for you, whatever you ask of me, I’m yours Stiles, for as long as you want.” He confessed in between kisses. 

“I want you forever Derek, I want to be with you forever.” Stiles said, kissing Derek until his lungs burned with a lack of oxygen and his cock throbbed unhappily in his jeans, begging to be touched, until his heart felt like it had swollen with so much love and happiness that it was going to burst straight out of his chest. He pushed Derek off him gently, grinning at him happily, “If you’re serious about this, as in, getting home before I blow my load, we really need to stop what we’re doing and you need to drive like a crazy person.” Stiles explained and Derek nodded before leaning in, pecking Stiles quickly on the lips and then pulling away and sitting back in the driver’s seat, still gripping Stiles’ hand tightly in his own. 

“I didn’t know how much I believed in true mates, I mean, it always sounded like a fairy tale, I guess, I’ve never really believed in ‘the one’,” Derek began, glancing to look across at Stiles who was staring at him, his pupils dilated, his lips swollen from where they had kissed, his hair sticking up in a hundred directions from where Derek had run his fingers through it, he was so beautiful it took Derek’s breath away, “But, if I’m honest, the second I met you, I knew you were someone special, someone who meant something to me, I just wasn’t sure what, you know I’m not exactly brilliant at knowing what I’m feeling or expressing those feelings, but, I knew you were different, that you mattered, and, even if it’s not true, even if true mates aren’t real, it’s real to me, you are my soulmate Stiles, I know it, I feel it, you’re everything I could ever want and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

“I don’t know if it’s true either, if they exist.” Stiles replied after a moment of silence, “But, Derek, if it’s true, or if they’re not, it doesn’t matter to me, I know how I feel about you, I love you. You’re everything I could ever want, when I wake up, I think of you, when I go to sleep, you’re the last thing on my mind, whenever anything happens, I always imagine what you’d say or do when you find out, what face you’d make, what your eyebrows would do,” Stiles shook his head, “Sorry, I’m getting off topic, what I mean, what I’m trying to say, is, I think you are perfect, and, soulmate or not, ‘the one’ or not, it doesn’t matter, you are like the other half to me, you complete me and you make me happier than I ever thought possible, of course, you also make me want to punch you when you do stupid, reckless, idiotic things, but, I think you probably want to punch me for the same reasons, so, we’re at least on the same page there, sorry, I’m doing it again, I just, you matter to me too, from the moment I first met you, I knew you were someone special, and I felt the overwhelming urge to protect you and keep you safe and help you however I could, and, none of those feelings have ever gone away and I know they won’t ever go away, believe me, I tried, I tried thinking that you were nothing to me, just the local Alpha werewolf, but, you were never and will never be anything other than Derek Hale, my mate, the man I am completely and utterly, irrevocably, in love with.” Stiles confessed as they pulled up to the house and Derek was glad he wasn’t driving anymore, because, god, hearing Stiles call him his mate, it did something to Derek, it made him want to weep with joy, Stiles called him his mate, Stiles wanted them to be mates. He jumped out of the car and practically ran around to the passenger side, opening the door and pulling Stiles out and into a kiss. 

“I love you too, god, Stiles, I love you so much, my mate, my Stiles.” Derek muttered against his lips, resting his hands on Stiles’ hips and pulling him closer to him, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.” Derek repeated, he could feel his wolf howling with joy, howling with happiness as they confessed to their mate, but he didn’t care about that right now, all he cared about was Stiles’ lips against his own, as they kissed hungrily, passionately, fiercely, as if nothing could ever pull them apart. Derek gripped Stiles’ ass tightly and pulled him upwards, Stiles reacted instantly, wrapping his legs around Derek’s waist and not breaking contact with his lips as Derek carried him towards the house, taking one hand off Stiles long enough to open the front door and then stumbling towards the stairs. 

“Make it to the bedroom for god’s sake!” Scott shouted from somewhere nearby and Stiles flushed but he didn’t even look in Scott’s direction, he didn’t care who else was there, all he could feel was Derek’s hands on his ass, his lips against his, his hard cock pressing into Stiles’ crotch as he carried him up the stairs, Stiles ran his hands over Derek’s broad shoulders, tangled his fingers in Derek’s hair before running them down his back, under his shirt, pulling him closer, god, he couldn’t wait to feel Derek’s bare skin against his own. “Jesus Christ! Do not start having sex on the stairs!” Scott shouted and Stiles pulled away enough to realise Derek had come to a complete stop, he was no longer walking them up the stairs, instead he was thrusting against Stiles’ crotch, his hands gripping Stiles’ ass so hard there was a chance he would leave bruises, as he tried to pull Stiles closer to him. Scott’s words seemed to break Derek out of his trance and he flushed, grinning at Stiles before he carried him the rest of the way up the stairs, into his room and shutting the door behind him, he moved towards the bed, kissing Stiles’ jaw, moving to his neck, his ear, his lips, god, he loved Stiles so much, he would never be able to get enough of this. 

Stiles reached and pulled Derek’s shirt over his head even as he pulled his own shirt off, Derek’s eyes travelled downwards, lingering on Stiles’ tattoos, god, he couldn’t wait to touch them, to lick them, to kiss them, he pushed Stiles down on to the bed, grabbing at his belt and undoing it quickly, Stiles arched his hips upwards, helping Derek to pull his trousers off until he was lay on the sheets in his boxers, Derek just stared at him, god, he was so gorgeous and perfect and Derek wasn’t sure he was ever going to be able to believe his luck, that Stiles would ever want to be with him. 

“Having second thoughts?” Stiles asked, looking suddenly nervous and Derek smiled at him ferally. 

“The only thoughts I’m having right now is how you are perfect and I’m so lucky.” Derek said and Stiles blushed. 

“Well, same here buddy, but, um, one of us is in boxers and the other still has way too many layers on.” Stiles said and Derek laughed, already unzipping his trousers and dropping them to the floor before climbing onto the bed and on top of Stiles, his fingers tracing Stiles’ tattoos teasingly. 

“Better?” He muttered against Stiles’ lips. 

“Much.” He replied, grinning widely, his hands resting on Derek’s hips and leaning up to kiss him. Derek grabbed Stiles’ wrists gently, pinning them above his head with one hand and then moving to trace the tattoos again, “Do you like them?” Stiles queried, gasping when Derek leaned down and started licking, sucking and biting at Stiles’ skin, wanting to leave his own marks next to the marks already on Stiles’ skin. 

“I love them.” Derek said in between kisses, moving away from the tattoos and on to a few of the scars that littered Stiles’ torso, kissing and licking and sucking at them as Stiles gasped underneath him, arching his hips upwards and grinding into Derek’s crotch, Derek moaned, grinding down into Stiles’ groin, smiling happily when Stiles let out a loud groan. 

“God, Der, fuck.” Stiles panted, grinding against him as much as he could. 

“No, we’re taking this slowly.” Derek said, tightening his grip on Stiles’ wrists, holding him still, “You’re going to stay still, let me take care of you.” Derek said, his fingers brushing the waistband of Stiles’ boxers and Stiles moaned with pleasure. 

“Please, god, shit.” Stiles groaned, thrusting up against Derek. 

“Stiles,” Derek growled warningly, “Stay still for me my mate, I’m going to take very good care of you.” Derek smirked, reaching down, pulling Stiles’ boxers down and stroking his cock slowly, Stiles whimpered in pleasure, writhing underneath Derek, desperate to get more friction, to feel Derek, to, god, it turned him on so much to hear Derek call him his mate, no doubt Derek could smell his arousal spiking at those words, he needed more, he was desperate for more. 

“Please, Der, please, please.” Stiles begged. 

“Do you like that, my mate? Do you want more?” Derek teased and Stiles nodded vigorously.

“Yes, god, yes, more, please.” Stiles pleaded, gasping with pleasure when Derek stroked his cock a little faster this time. 

“I like seeing you like this, desperate for me to touch you, you look delectable.” Derek muttered, “My mate, desperate for me, how desperate are you baby?” 

“Very, please, please Derek, please, god, I need more, please.” Stiles whimpered, he was so hard, so horny, Derek’s words were turning him on so much, he trusted Derek more than anything, trusted he would never hurt him, Stiles knew he could let his guards down, let go of his control, let Derek be in control of him, without any worries that he would ever get hurt, he was so aroused it was hard to think straight. 

“Do you want to know how much it turns me on seeing you like this?” Derek asked and Stiles nodded, “Enhance your senses for me.” He said and Stiles managed to take a steadying breath long enough to enhance his senses, he inhaled, the scent of Derek’s arousal filling his senses, it was almost overwhelming, only spiking his own arousal, knowing Derek was enjoying this just as much, it just made Stiles so happy that he couldn’t concentrate, “Look at you, god, you’re so perfect, you’re so beautiful, you’re gorgeous, you’re perfect, you’re so fucking perfect.” Derek said, looking at Stiles’ eyes seriously, he shifted forward, grinding his crotch against Stiles’, kissing his lips before he moved to Stiles’ throat, kissing and sucking, making Stiles groan and thrust against him. 

“Please Der, please, I want you, I want you my mate, please.” Stiles begged. 

“Say it again.” Derek smirked and Stiles licked his lips, Derek tracked the movement, leaning down and biting Stiles’ lower lip, tugging on it gently as Stiles moaned with pleasure, “Say it again for me.” Derek muttered. 

“I want you my mate. I want you, please, my mate, I need you, please, please Derek, please, I want you, god, fuck,” Derek stroked Stiles’ cock and Stiles’ eyes practically rolled back in his head, “Jesus, fuck, Der, please, my mate, I need you, I need you, please.” Derek could feel his eyes flashing red, his own hips thrusting forward, grinding against Stiles, the material of his boxers getting in the way, he needed them off, he needed them off now. He pulled away, ripping his boxers off, “Yes, god, yes, please.” Stiles said in relief, groaning when he felt Derek’s cock press against his own. Derek thrust forward, rubbing their cocks together, both of them gasping at the sensation, “Jesus, fuck, Der, shit.” Stiles whimpered, writhing with pleasure as Derek gripped his wrists tightly. 

“It’s okay Stiles, I’ve got you, I’ve got you my mate, you’re okay, I’m going to look after you.” Derek muttered, reaching down and tracing his finger gently around Stiles’ hole, “You look so good for me my mate, I’m going to take such good care of you.” 

“Please, yes, please, Der, my mate, my true mate, my soulmate, please.” Stiles gasped and Derek nearly lost it at those words, he thrust forward harder, his gip tightening on Stiles, his other hand cradling Stiles’ balls tenderly before reaching across to the bedside table, pulling out a small bottle of lube and moving it back to the bed. “I love you, I love you so much.” 

“I love you too, my mate, my Stiles.” Derek said, opening the lube, pouring some on to his fingers and massaging Stiles’ hole gently. “You’re mine and I’m yours, whatever you want you can have, I’ll do anything you ask.” 

“I want you inside me Derek, please, I want you, shit, please, Der, please, my Derek, please.” Stiles muttered, moaning as Derek slid a finger inside him, his mouth dropping open and his eyes fluttering closed in pleasure. 

“No, no, look at me, that’s it baby, look at me.” Derek said and Stiles opened his eyes, looking at Derek, his cheeks flushed with pleasure, his eyes still glowing gold, his lips parted, Derek’s marks littering his neck and chest, “That’s it Stiles, stay with me.” Derek said, moving his fingers around slowly, before sliding them in and out of Stiles’ hole, “You’re doing so good for me baby, so good.” Derek cooed softly, still biting and nibbling at Stiles’ throat as he thrust his fingers in and out until he thought Stiles was ready for him, “I want to make love to you Stiles, I want to take my time, want to make this so good for you.”

“You can take your time next time, please, right now, I need you inside me, please.” Stiles begged and Derek shook his head fondly. 

“Tell me how badly.” 

“Oh my god! Der, please, my mate, please, I need you inside me, please, I want you, I want you so badly, I need to have you, god, I need you, I’ll do anything, anything you want, just, please, I need you right now, I need you, please.” Stiles pleaded, writhing underneath him in an attempt to increase the pressure of Derek’s fingers or the friction against his cock, Stiles was going to lose his freaking mind if Derek didn’t do something soon, Derek shifted, positioning himself and then slowly sliding in to Stiles, watching Stiles’ face, wanting to make sure he wasn’t hurting him, letting go of his wrists and cupping his jaw tenderly, kissing him softly, gently, wanting to make sure that Stiles knew how loved he was. 

“Jesus, fuck, Stiles.” He gasped as he inched his way in, until, eventually, he bottomed out, feeling like his brain was going to explode at the sensation, god, he’d forgotten how good this felt, it was amazing, better than amazing, it was mind blowing, insane, unable to believe that he was getting to do this, that Stiles wanted to be with him just as much as Derek wanted to be with him. 

“Oh my, fuck, shit, Der, Jesus, god, you feel so good.” Stiles gasped. 

“You have no idea how incredible you feel Stiles, god, this feels amazing, I love you, I love you, I love you.” He muttered, repeating his words in between kisses. 

“I love you too.” Stiles panted, “Fuck, Der, I need you to move, please, please my mate, please.” Stiles pleaded and Derek complied, thrusting forwards slightly and making Stiles moan loudly with pleasure, “Oh, Jesus, fuck, Derek!” Stiles groaned as Derek took his time, moving forward and backwards slowly, he was so close to cumming and he didn’t want to, not yet, he wanted to make this last, make this pleasurable for Stiles. 

Stiles reached up, tangling his fingers in Derek’s hair, pulling him in a gentle kiss, their lips brushing delicately, softly, sweetly, breathing into each other’s mouths as Derek thrust slowly, taking his time, making it last for both of them, Stiles was panting, both of them trembling with exertion as they built towards their orgasms. 

“Shit, please, god, Derek, I’m so close, I’m so fucking close, god, Der, mine, god, you’re mine.” Stiles muttered, his eyes fluttering, shifting between their usual amber and his magical gold as he began to lose control of himself, “Der, fuck, please, oh god, please, I need, I’m so close, faster, please, faster.” He begged and Derek groaned, those words were enough to send him over the edge, he thrust harder, faster, so close to his own orgasm that he could barely think straight. 

“Stiles, Stiles, shit, oh god, Stiles, I’m going to, fuck, I’m going…” Derek said, trailing off when Stiles tensed against him, his hands gripping tighter on Derek’s arms.

“Der! Shit! Derek!” Stiles moaned as his orgasm overwhelmed him, Derek felt Stiles clench against him and that was enough to send him howling over the edge of his own orgasm. Derek wasn’t sure he’d ever had an out-of-body experience before, but, if he had to say what one was, this was what it felt like, his vision whited out for a second before it returned and everything was tinged with red. His entire body was trembling and shaking, his brain had short-circuited, he had never felt such extreme pleasure before, this was a thousand times better than any orgasm that he’d ever experienced and just when he was sure it couldn’t be any more fantastic, a split second later, Stiles’ energy boost washed over him and his wolf howled, his eyes shifting to bright red, his claws coming out and digging into the sheets. 

“Fuck! Stiles!” He growled around a set of elongated teeth that hadn’t been there a moment before, he thrust forward again, desperate to get closer, deeper, as if he could completely and utterly bury himself in Stiles, he looked at Stiles, his own orgasm had obviously been intense, his eyes were glowing a bright gold, his hips arched up as Derek thrust forward and Stiles gasped in pleasure, the aftershocks of his orgasm still coursing through him. 

“God, Derek, fuck.” Stiles moaned, at a loss for words as his entire body shook and trembled through his orgasm, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so hyped up, so overwhelmed, so energized and yet, like his legs wouldn’t be able to support him if he stood. Derek’s thrusts slowed as he came back to his senses, Stiles looked up at him, at the bright red eyes that stared back at him, at the claws that dug into the bed next to him, at the fangs that could tear his throat out if they wanted, “You’re so perfect.” He muttered and Derek looked at him in confusion, already shifting back to his human face. “I love you, like, crazily, deeply, madly, unconditionally, love you.” Stiles whispered. 

“I love you too Stiles, more than anything.” Derek replied, leaning in to kiss him sweetly, softly and tenderly. He was already hard again, refreshed and re-energized from Stiles’ energy boost and he could see that Stiles was hard as well, he grinned happily, “Do you remember what Peter asked you a while ago?” 

“Peter’s asked me a lot of things, most of them I try to wipe from my memory, your uncle has some seriously gross thoughts.” Stiles replied his voice trailing off into a groan when Derek thrust slightly, “Can we please not talk about Peter when we’re having sex? There’s a line of what I’m willing to do and that is way over it.” Derek laughed loudly, shaking his head fondly before he pressed his nose to Stiles’ neck, inhaling his scent, loving that Stiles was covered in Derek’s scent too, it would tell everyone that Stiles was his, his wolf howled happily at that thought. 

“I was meaning, when he asked you about if your energy boosts made it so that you could continue having sex almost continuously. I want to try that out.” Derek smirked and Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“You want to see how long we can have sex for? You seriously want more orgasms right now? I’m pretty sure I nearly passed out from the last one and you want more?” Stiles asked and Derek grinned. 

“I want to give you more, yeah, I love seeing you cum, I love feeling it, I want to spend as much time as I can pleasuring you, until you can’t see straight, until you’re so satisfied that you can barely stand.” Derek said, thrusting forward as he spoke, Stiles gripped his biceps, holding tightly as he wrapped his legs around Derek’s thighs and pulled him closer. 

“I’m already certain I can’t stand.” Stiles laughed and Derek was so proud, so smug that he was the one that got to be with Stiles like this, he would never take it for granted, but, god, he was the luckiest man in the entire world, he wanted everyone to know Stiles was his and he was Stiles’, he wanted everyone to know that he was the one that got to be with Stiles and that nobody else was ever going to have that privilege, not as long as Stiles wanted to be with him. 

Several hours later, long after the sun had set and the moon had risen and the entire pack had gone to bed, they finally collapsed into the sheets in exhaustion. Stiles’ latest orgasm had given them another boost, but, in honesty, Derek wasn’t sure he was going to be able to walk as it was, even with the extra energy his whole body was trembling, they were both coated with sweat, Derek’s stomach was covered in drying cum and Derek’s cum was leaking out of Stiles’ ass, if he’d thought the first time they’d had sex this afternoon was amazing, it was nothing in comparison to their latest round. He couldn’t think, couldn’t even form a sentence, all he could think was that he was so fucking happy, he wrapped an arm around Stiles’ back, pulling him into Derek’s chest, snuggling up to him, inhaling their combined scents and grinning widely. 

“Somebody smells happy.” Stiles muttered and Derek nodded as he looked at Stiles’ eyes. 

“I’m so happy, so fucking happy, I love you Stiles, I love you so much.” Derek sighed, he could sleep now, god, he was already on the edge of sleep, but, he wanted Stiles to know how much he loved him, that it wasn’t just sex, that he wanted everything that Stiles offered. 

“I love you too Der, my Derek.” Stiles mumbled, his voice trailing off slightly before he let out a soft snore, Derek chuckled quietly, pressing a soft kiss to Stiles’ temple and snuggling closer to him. 

“I love you, my Stiles.” He whispered in reply before he too slipped into sleep. 

Stiles stared at the empty bed next to him and felt his stomach lurch uncomfortably, he threw back the sheets, half expecting Derek to appear in the bedroom doorway, but, he didn’t, Stiles wandered down the hallway, everything seemed to echo too loudly in his ears, the house felt too large, out of proportion, Derek was nowhere in sight, he called out for him and Stiles’ own voice echoed back at him. He wandered into the kitchen and saw Derek stood against the counter, looking out of the window, his back to Stiles, his shoulders tense, his hands gripping the counter tightly. 

“Derek?” Stiles asked, his voice still echoing unnervingly, his stomach feeling like it had been replaced by several bricks, Derek turned to look at him, anger in his features, his eyes glowing red and such hatred in them that Stiles felt sick. “Derek? What’s wrong?” 

“You. You’re what’s wrong! Do you honestly think I’d want to be with you?” Derek snarled in disgust, “Pathetic, stupid, scared little Stiles? Why would I want to be with you? You’re nothing. You’re less than nothing. You’re a liability. You always have been. You were too stupid to see Theo was using you to get to the nogitsune and Steph died because of it. It’s your fault she’s dead, you think I’d want to be with someone that was so cowardly that they got their friend killed? You’re pathetic Stiles, pining after me, I’ll never be interested in you, I only said that because I wanted to have a good laugh with the rest of the pack over just how stupid you are.” Derek spat and Stiles felt the tears filling his eyes, unable to stop them as they spilled down his cheeks. “You think if you cry I’ll feel sorry for you? I don’t want you Stiles. I never did. You’re nothing. A mistake. You were just there and I was horny, that’s all it was, all it will ever be.” 

“But, you said…” Stiles tried, his voice cracking as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks, “You said you loved me?”

“I would have said anything to get you into bed. I just didn’t know it was going to be so easy, you’re stupider than I thought.” Derek replied mockingly and Stiles felt like his heart was being crushed, that Derek had ripped it from his chest and was currently crushing it in front of his very eyes. 

“Stiles!” That was Derek’s voice, but it didn’t sound right, it wasn’t coming from Derek’s mouth and it sounded scared, panicked, he turned around and saw another Derek run into the kitchen, he looked around in surprise for a minute as if he didn’t expect Stiles to be there. 

“You’re disgusting! You’re a disappointment to everyone who knows you, they all hate you, they all know that you’re a failure, that it’s your fault Steph is dead. She died because of you. Steve died because of you. How many more good people have to die because of you before you realise you don’t deserve to be surrounded by good, decent, human beings? How long before you realise none of us want you here!?” The first Derek shouted and Stiles felt like his insides were being ripped out and stomped all over. 

“No! No! Don’t listen to him Stiles! You’re dreaming! It’s just a dream!” The second Derek said, reaching out to touch Stiles and grimacing when Stiles backed away from him as if he’d been struck. 

“Dreaming? Pathetic! Any excuse just to try and deny the truth. I don’t want you Stiles. I would never want you. The only reason I’d ever sleep with you is for a joke, a bet. But to want to be with you? To want to wake up and see your face? The face of a murderer? You’re a murderer Stiles! You’re weak! You’re pathetic! You’re stupid! I would never want to be with you!” 

“Stiles! He’s lying! He’s lying to you! Please! Wake up baby! Wake up!” The second Derek pleaded, looking so pained that Stiles wanted to do whatever he asked just to try and take that look off his face.

Stiles blinked his eyes open and stared up at Derek’s worried expression, they were in his bedroom, still tangled in the bed sheets, Stiles opened his mouth to speak but only a sob came out, his heart racing uncomfortably fast as he tried to process it had only been a dream, Derek hugged him tightly, running a hand reassuringly over his back, his neck, through his hair, holding him tightly. 

“It’s okay, it was only a dream, it’s okay, you’re alright, he was lying, it was all lies, everything’s fine, it’s okay baby, it was just a dream, I’m here, I’m right here, it’s alright, I love you, I love you, it’s okay, I’m here, my Stiles, I’m here, you’re safe.” Derek whispered quietly as Stiles sobbed into his chest until finally, what could have been a few minutes or a few hours later, Stiles swiped at his eyes and took a few steadying breaths, pushing himself away from Derek to look him in the eyes. 

“Was that…were you…did you see?” Stiles asked, not sure what he was attempting to say, but, it was like, it seemed like Derek had known exactly what he was dreaming about, and, Stiles was, he didn’t know what had happened. 

“Yeah, I was, I was asleep.” Derek explained in a whisper, still holding Stiles tightly as he pulled the sheets over them, snuggling into the bed and getting them comfortable, “I was dreaming about you, we were out in the preserve, laughing about something, and, then, then I was in the house, I knew it was a dream, I just, I could feel it, it was a dream, and I could hear him shouting at you, but, I couldn’t find you, I stumbled around for a while, listening to him shouting, until I found you, and, god, you looked so upset, and I didn’t know how to help, I just, I wanted you to wake up, I wanted you to know it wasn’t real, and, then I woke up and I was in bed and a second later, you were awake too.” He paused, looking at Stiles, “I’m guessing nothing like that has ever happened to you before? I mean, somebody else being in your dreams? Not the nightmare bit, I know that’s happened before.” 

“No, definitely a first. I…that was so…am I still dreaming?” He muttered, unable to believe Derek had been able to see his nightmare. 

“No, you’re definitely awake, we both are, how about we go downstairs and get a coffee? I’m not on shift until tonight, we can spend the day together if you like?” 

“That sounds good.” Stiles said, cuddling Derek for a few seconds before he pulled away, “Coffee sounds really good, although I still feel pretty energized, caffeine might not be the best idea.” Derek stared at him in mock horror. 

“Hang on, are you feeling okay?” He said, pressing his hand to Stiles’ forehead, “You won’t even let sugar dilute your caffeine and now you’re planning on turning it down altogether!? Are you ill? Do you feel sick?” He teased and Stiles smacked him playfully on the arm. 

“Har-har.” He said, rolling out of bed, and looking around for his clothes. 

“Here.” Derek said, throwing him some of his own clothes, just a t-shirt and some sweats, but, Stiles wearing his clothes while he still smelled of the two of them and sex, it was just perfect. He put on a pair of joggers that hung low on his hips and glanced across at Stiles who was staring at him hungrily. “We could skip the coffee or non-coffee if you’d prefer to stay in bed?” Derek smirked and Stiles smiled, taking a step towards Derek just as his stomach rumbled loudly. “Right, food first, even if you don’t have coffee, food is still a necessity.” 

“Not if we just keep having energy boosts.” Stiles pouted, but he knew he wasn’t going to win the argument and he didn’t really want to, he was hungry, he wasn’t going to deny it. 

“We can have as many ‘boosts’ as you want, after we’ve both eaten.” Derek said, taking his hand and leading him downstairs to the kitchen. Derek sat Stiles down on one of the stools and then moved to the fridge, looking for a few seconds before he pulled out sausages, bacon, eggs and hash browns. “So, dream walking, is that a thing?” Derek asked as he started cooking. 

“A thing only becomes a thing if it happens multiple times, at the moment, it could just be a one-off, in which case, no, it’s not a thing for us, not yet, maybe not ever. But, is dream walking a thing that people study and train in? Yeah, definitely. But, I never did. I had enough problems with my own dreams, I really didn’t want to go wandering off into others too.” 

“You said you never really got the hang of healing either, but, you healed me. Maybe it’s something to do with our bond?” Derek asked and Stiles pursed his lips in thought. 

“Maybe, I guess it could be, or it could be the bond and nothing to do with my magic at all? I don’t suppose your mom ever told you stories of her and your dad sharing dreams?” Stiles asked and Derek shook his head sadly. 

“Not than I can remember anyway, Cora might be better to ask, she used to hang on every word mom and Laura said, I always preferred to hang out with the other boys my age and then, well, you know what happened.” Derek said just as Erica and Boyd appeared in the doorway, “Morning? You guys are up early?” 

“Yeah, well, thanks to certain people in this room, I have so much energy I’m not sure I need to sleep for the next few weeks,” Erica said and Stiles blushed, “And, thanks to those same people, I could smell food.” She said, settling on the stool next to Stiles and knocking their shoulders together, “You okay?” She could see the tear tracks on Stiles’ cheeks and didn’t need to be a genius to figure out he’d had a nightmare. 

“Yeah, fine, just, the usual.” Stiles said, accepting the mug of coffee Derek slid his way with a wry grin. “Thanks.” He muttered. 

“So what are you asking Cora?” Boyd asked and Stiles sighed. 

“If her mom ever mentioned sharing dreams with her dad. Just, Derek kind of, found himself in one of my dreams?” Stiles explained. 

“What? Like, he had a similar dream to you?” Erica asked in astonishment. 

“No, I mean, he was dreaming of something else completely and then he moved into the nightmare I was having and managed to wake me up.” Stiles said. 

“That’s…um…wow.” Erica said, speechless for one of the very few times in her life. 

“Yeah. That’s what I thought too.” Stiles replied, taking a swig of coffee and feeling the caffeine hit his system almost immediately, “I guess research is on the cards.” 

“Not today.” Derek said, sliding a plate of food in front of Stiles and then a second plate in front of Erica and Boyd before sitting on the stool next to Stiles with his own plate, “Today we don’t have to figure anything out, we don’t have a life or death mission, we don’t need to worry the world is going to implode, all we’re going to do today is spend some time together, the two of us, watch some crappy films, or go walking in the preserve, or whatever you want, but, today is a day for just us, screw everybody else.” 

“Yeah, the two of you do enough screwing for all of us.” Boyd commented and Stiles gaped at him before laughing brightly. 

“We haven’t even gotten started.” Stiles grinned, “In fact, I think I need a shower after breakfast, want to join me?” He asked Derek who smiled, wolfing down his bacon. 

“Why wait until after breakfast?” He replied. 

“Why go to the shower? Do it here. Scott might be a prude but I’m not.” Erica said and Stiles smacked her arm. “You want us to join in? I mean, I’d be more than happy to, so would Boyd. We could make the others really jealous?” 

“Erica, stop it, we’ve gone over this, I’m not having sex with you.” Stiles sighed heavily and Derek wrapped an arm around his waist possessively. 

“Mine.” Derek growled, flashing his eyes at Erica who only rolled hers in reply. 

“Yeah, well aware of that Alpha, considering how much he already reeks of you.” Erica said. 

“Come on, we’re going to go get a shower.” Stiles said, pulling Derek to his feet, and passing Peter, Scott and Lydia on the stairs. 

“At least use a soundproofing spell this time.” Scott called over his shoulder and Stiles flipped him off as he dragged Derek into their bedroom, shutting the door behind them and moving towards the adjoining bathroom, deciding to at least be kind to Scott and soundproof the room. 

“You were serious about shower sex?” Derek asked as Stiles turned the shower on and pulled off his shirt. 

“I was serious about a shower.” He smirked, “If you want to join me, that’s totally up to you.” He grinned, dropping his trousers and stepping into the shower, Derek almost tripped out of his own trousers as he pulled them down and hurried after Stiles. 

It was almost lunchtime by the time they made it back downstairs, by which time most of the pack had gotten up and either left for college or work or whatever else their plans involved, Derek grabbed the television remote, grabbing hold of Stiles and pulling him down onto the sofa, wrapping arms around him and cuddling up next to him, already flicking on the television until he found a good action film he knew Stiles liked. 

“I love you.” Derek muttered into his ear and Stiles grinned blindingly, “I’ll always be here for you and we’ll always be together, no matter what, we’ll come back to each other.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I love you too Der, my mate.” Stiles replied happily, pressing up against Derek and snuggling deeper into the cushions to get comfortable. “I could spend every day like this.” He sighed contentedly. 

“Me too.” Derek mumbled. 

“So, today is just for us, right?” Stiles asked. 

“Yep.” Derek said sleepily, humming happily.

“And tomorrow, we go back to normal?” 

“No, tomorrow we go back to our jobs, our responsibilities haven’t gone away, but, I don’t want to go back to how things were, us dancing around each other, neither of us sure of how to fix things or anything like that, I want this Stiles, I want to be with you, I want this to be our new normal, waking up with you, cuddling with you, watching films with you, making you breakfast, looking after you, you looking after me, having each other’s back whenever and wherever. I want this to be the first, well, technically second, day of the rest of our lives together.” Derek said and Stiles turned his head enough to give Derek a soft kiss. 

“That sounds good to me. The second day of the rest of our lives together. Everything else we can and will deal with, possibly dream-walking, soulmates, true mates, or whatever else crops up, but, for today, the rest of the world doesn’t exist.” Stiles said, cuddling up to Derek contentedly. 

“That sounds perfect.” Derek smiled, “You’re perfect, my mate, my Stiles.” He said, his eyes already drifting closed as Stiles slipped slowly into sleep in front of him, Derek couldn’t believe how lucky he was, how perfect things were, sure, he had no doubts there would be things thrown at them, how could there not be when Stiles was a little danger magnet? But he also had no doubts at all that between the two of them, and with the rest of the pack behind them, there was nothing that they couldn’t overcome. He knew the pack would wake them when they arrived home, but, he couldn’t be bothered worrying about it right now, like Stiles said, everything else they could deal with, he breathed in Stiles’ scent, the scent of his true mate lying in his arms, the way things were meant to be, and followed him into sleep.


End file.
